Everything from power tools to high-end stereo equipment winds up at the Raleigh Police Department. Most of the property is either stolen or lost. If police cannot find the owners, after a while, it really adds up.
"With a total of a half million items, we have to get rid of it to keep from getting overwhelmed by it," said Capt. John Annis of the Raleigh Police Department.
Until recently, the police department held an auction, but said doing so became too costly.
"We would have to bring in employees to work overtime and take officers off the street. We only did two times a year, so it would really a mount up," said.
The police department is now using the Internet to sell the goods through a site called
StealItBack.com
Anyone in the world with a computer can place a bid.
"Because they market it online, they have a national market and get better prices than we did," Annis said.
Local children benefit most from the sale of the stolen goods. Every penny of profit the Raleigh Police Department makes goes to the Wake County School System.
The site only sells items that come from law enforcement agencies.
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