I was helping my friends kids do a park clean up and one of them found a large wad of cash (less than $200). I told the one who found it that I need to check with the police before she can have it, just in case it belongs to someone in need.
But is that a thing? I didn’t want to say she could keep it right away because I want to set a good example. But it isn’t a ton of money so I assume the police would not be interested. So what do?
I would say, put a reasonable effort into finding the owner. If the owner cannot be found, it’s finders keepers.
Key thing about trying to find owners of lost things: You cannot just say ‘is this your $200’. You need to do something more like, ‘I’m trying to find the owner of some lost money’ and if they claim it is theirs, ask them how much it was. This way you filter out grifters.
I would also say going to the police over $200 is well beyond reasonable effort. It just isn’t enough money to justify using their time.
So then who is the person who lost it supposed to ask if not the police? You expect them to go on some random Facebook group?
This is exactly what the police are for. But if you don’t utilize them the system doesn’t work and it’s “not worth the bother”.
In addition, this is how you legally acquire found property. You report it found, get a receipt, and then claim it after a set amount of time…works for MANY things, including abandoned vehicles.
Agreed. Giving it to the police means it will never find its owner.
Counterpoint. I once found about £80, handed it in to the police, got a receipt, a few weeks later got a call, no-one had claimed it, was allowed to come and claim it.
From your use of the £ I’m going to assume you are not American. America has legalized theft if it’s the police doing the taking. Look up civil forfeiture. You turn over money to cops, they’ll just say they “think” it was involved in crime and pocket it.
The cops won’t even bother with civil forfeiture. There’s a court case (a shitty one, more of a hearing, but it’s there) involved in that and the prosecutors will roll their eyes for $200. They’ll just put it in an evidence locker, put up a notice in a newspaper that no one will ever see, then 30 days later say that no one claimed it and then they pocket it.
Not sure about now, but in 98 the hostess at the restaurant I worked at found ~$200 and turned it into the police. 3 months later, no one claimed it and she got it back.
Fair point, and yeah, I’m in the UK.
Not to mention they may just “hold it” for you
$200 bucks is definitely worth trying to find the owner. That could be someone’s week of grocery money
I’d say 50-100 or less don’t even try.
$100 could be a week of grocery money too. $50 for a frugal individual, even.