This section lets authorities manage property seized for forfeiture, including moving, securing, marking, or releasing it when forfeiture or retention is unnecessary, and requires a written inventory and value estimate soon after seizure.
§2607. Property management and preservation A. Property taken or detained under this Chapter is not subject to alienation, sequestration, or attachment. The seizing agency or the district attorney may authorize the release of the seizure for forfeiture on the property if forfeiture or retention is unnecessary, and the district attorney may transfer the action to another district attorney by discontinuing forfeiture proceedings in favor of forfeiture proceedings initiated by the other agency or district attorney. The property is deemed to be in the custody of the district attorney subject only to the orders and decrees of the court having jurisdiction over the forfeiture proceedings. The property is subject to the interests of secured parties or lienholders whose interests are exempt from forfeiture. B. If property is seized under this Chapter, the district attorney or his designee may do any of the following: (1) Remove the property to an appropriate place designated by the district attorney or his designee. (2) Place the property under constructive seizure by posting Notice of Pending Forfeiture on it, by giving Notice of Pending Forfeiture to its owners and interest holders, or by filing Notice of Pending Forfeiture in any appropriate public record relating to the property. (3) Remove the property to a storage area for safekeeping or, if the property is a negotiable instrument or money and is not needed for evidentiary purposes, deposit it in an interest bearing account. (4) Provide for another agency or custodian, including an owner, secured party, or lienholder, to take custody of the property and remove it to an appropriate location within the jurisdiction of the court. (5) Require the Department of Public Safety and Corrections or other law enforcement agency to take custody of the property and remove it to an appropriate location for disposition in accordance with law. (6) Release the property to the claimant without a court order if the district attorney determines forfeiture or retention is unnecessary. C. As soon as practicable after seizure for forfeiture, the seizing agency shall conduct a written inventory and estimate of the value of the property seized. D. If the hearing has not been held within sixty days of the filing of a lawsuit seeking forfeiture or one hundred eighty days of the seizure of any vessel, vehicle, aircraft, merchandise, or other property seized under the laws of this state and liable to perish or to waste or to be greatly reduced in value by keeping, or that the expense of keeping the same is disproportionate to the value thereof, the district attorney may petition the court, with notice to interest holders and claimants, to initiate a sale pending forfeiture to ensure that the value of the property is preserved throughout the court proceedings. Acts 1989, No. 375, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1990; Acts 1992, No. 721, §1; Acts 2007, No. 71, §1.