BOISE -- Stolen items are going for a steal online and it's completely legit. That's because the items come directly from law enforcement. The Ada County Sheriff's Office announced it's getting into the online sales business.
Of course, auctioning off stolen items is nothing new for the Ada County Sheriff's Office, but what is new is they're switching from old fashioned in-person auctions to online auctions.
Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney says the property they collect comes from all over. "A lot of it is stolen property that we can't track down the owner of, " said Raney.
All of that unclaimed the property can now be yours with the click of a mouse from your living room. The sheriff's office says they plan on shipping the property they've collected to a warehouse, where they'll then be auctioned off at propertyroom.com. Raney calls the site, "the eBay of the evidence world."
Raney also thinks this new process could save money. "I'd say conservatively we'd save about $4,000 just in personnel costs," he said. He's also hoping the online auction will reach a wider audience of people, which could bring in yet more funds. A spokesperson for the sheriff's office says she does not know when the property they've collected will appear online, but says they begin shipping next week.
Up to 50 percent of the proceeds from the sales will go back to the sheriff's office, the rest goes to the online company. In the event you recognize an item online that belongs to you, all you have to do is provide proof, such as a photo, that you are the rightful owner, and they'll have the item shipped back to you. They do not put firearms up for sale on the website.
