Crime may not pay, but oh, what a deal!

January 4, 2004 8:14 AM

Hey, that was my getaway car!!! Ever wonder where property seized from criminals and crime scenes ends up? Steal It Back/The Property Room brings police auctions online, and New York City is now participating too, guaranteeing an large influx of interesting stuff. Part eBay and part "Cops" episode, the Web site is alternatively cheery ("Hot Pursuit Specials!") and puzzling. How did the police end up with that collectible "I Love Lucy" plate anyway? Where did those eight candlesticks and a Bible come from? Are they really selling that hydroponic grow light — that staple of dorm-room marijuana cultivation? How long before they show up to seize it back?
posted by amberglow (9 comments total)

It's L'il Bandit! And she's in pain!
posted by ahughey at 8:58 AM on January 4, 2004

I was so trying to remember that car's name but was too lazy to seach for it.

And this site pretty much rules.
posted by Cyrano at 9:14 AM on January 4, 2004

PropertyRoom/StealItBack has been around for awhile.

I've considered it as the bastard offspring of Archie McPhee and Jack McCoy, as some of the groovier items for bid have been decommissioned parking meters, shoulder-style gun holsters, and of course, stationery supplies.
posted by Smart Dalek at 9:25 AM on January 4, 2004

I can't seem to get onto the site. Every once in a while the front page will load but then if I click on anything, it disappears again. I think they need to invest in some capacity, they seem to not have enough for their current traffic levels.
posted by jester69 at 9:40 AM on January 4, 2004

they should invest in better servers.

s
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posted by Busithoth at 9:47 AM on January 4, 2004

There's a certain irony in being able to buy a copy of GTA3 from a police force.
posted by biffa at 9:50 AM on January 4, 2004

Well, I couldn't find the 20 sack they got off me last night. Are cops supposed to throw that away? He put it in his pocket and didnt charge me.
posted by Keyser Soze at 2:23 PM on January 4, 2004

Well, I couldn't find the 20 sack they got off me last night. Are cops supposed to throw that away? He put it in his pocket and didnt charge me.

Ha. If the NYPD put everything they confiscate on this website, they'd have a huge box of mostly empty wallets, mountains of shoelaces, belts, and other trinkets that they take off people they do charge, and put in holding cells, only to 'lose' the envelope in which all these items are placed 'for the perp's own safety'
posted by Busithoth at 2:41 PM on January 4, 2004

Just so you know, I have a friend who tried to buy the hydroponics grow lights off the police, but at least in Nebraska, they smash the lights and don't sell them. My friend grows lots of carnivorous plants and also has quite a few assorted snakes. Just so you know, there is a benign use for those lights.
posted by stoneegg21 at 6:23 PM on January 4, 2004