September 2006

Briefly speaking: Searching the lost and found

Detective Mary Garcia of the UC Davis Police Department, left, looks through recovered items at lost and found with student Bao Mai, center, and Lt. Matt Carmichael. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)

Have you ever received a phone call from your student, distraught over losing an expensive cell phone, a wallet or even a memory stick loaded with a term paper? Chances are someone was kind enough to turn the item over to the UC Davis Police Department’s lost and found.

"You shouldn't conclude that if it's lost, it is gone forever," says Lt. Matt Carmichael, who manages the crime prevention unit for the department. "If it was lost on campus, there's a good chance you'll get it back."

And finding those lost treasures has become easier than ever, thanks to a new online system. Individuals can use the Web to report lost items and search through a written inventory of found items.

Reports are checked by staff daily against inventory descriptions. If a potential match exists, the department will ask the reporting individual for further details on their lost item so that it can be returned.

Waiting to be claimed

Carmichael says the department holds items for at least 90 days and often as long as six months. He estimates the department is holding about 500 umbrellas, more than 150 basketballs, numerous TI-83 graphing calculators, expensive jewelry, sporting equipment, clothing and backpacks.

While sorting through approximately 500 pairs of sunglasses in the lost and found may be a challenge, says Carmichael, other items such as cell phones are easier to reunite with their owners. Police staff simply checks the phonebook for Mom or Dad, and that usually does the trick.

"We really prefer you use the online service to try to locate a lost item," Carmichael says. "It's easier and saves time. If you make a match, then come down to the department to pick it up."

The lost and found is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday at the police department on Kleiber Hall Drive on campus, and next to the emergency room entrance at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

Top of page

Return to previous page