AL HB609

Henry County Sheriff's Office shall maintain records of all abandoned and stolen personal property recovered, including description, recovery date, and serial numbers; all records must be open to public inspection.

Sheriff may sell unclaimed abandoned or stolen property at public auction (including Internet auction) after it remains unclaimed for at least six months, with notice published once weekly for two weeks or posted at courthouse for 20 days.

Firearm sales require the auctioneer to hold a federal firearms license from the ATF and must comply with all federal firearm transfer requirements.

Proceeds from property sales shall be held in a separate account for six months; if claimed within that period, the owner receives proceeds minus recovery, storage, maintenance, and sale costs; unclaimed proceeds after six months go to the Sheriff's Fund for law enforcement purposes only.

Abandoned or stolen firearms unclaimed for six months may be used by the Sheriff's Office for law enforcement purposes or destroyed if unlawful or unsafe; the bill becomes effective immediately.