# Found "private" SD card... how to return it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 24, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184 "2013-01-24T04:03:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/61 "2013-01-31T02:54:48Z")
You guys are just overreacting. I was just always taught that found property/money is given to the local police station. If they can’t find the owner after a certain period then the property/money becomes yours. (Or as in this case, you can tell them you don’t want it in advance.) Yes, I think this is especially important if the two conditions I mentioned are true; which the OP says they are not, so great. But in general, that’s just what you do with lost property. They are public servants, for crying out loud, not everything that comes their way is related to the crime of the century. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/62 "2013-01-31T03:00:01Z")
. . . It’s even the law at least in the couple of these that I clicked. … my state isn’t listed though. [http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stuscacivil\_2080\_2082.htm#s2080](http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stuscacivil_2080_2082.htm#s2080) ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/63 "2013-01-31T03:05:48Z")
There is a 0% chance the person is going to go to the police to see if it’s been turned in, and a 99.99% chance the person would not want it turned in to the police (allowing for the tiny chance the person is an exhibitionist and did it on purpose). And nobody goes to the police with every little thing they find, that’s nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/64 "2013-01-31T03:14:02Z")
I’m not sure what going to the police would accomplish, if it’s clear that the person in the photos is a consenting adult. That’s not illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/65 "2013-01-31T03:14:29Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > . . . It’s even the law at least in the couple of these that I clicked. .. my state isn’t listed though. > > [CA - Lost Property - Lost and Unclaimed Property | Animal Legal & Historical Center](http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stuscacivil_2080_2082.htm#s2080) Actually, your link says the OP doesn’t have to do jack. > [@](#): > > Any person who finds a thing lost is not bound to take charge of it, unless the person is otherwise required to do so by contract or law, but when the person does take charge of it he or she is thenceforward a depositary for the owner, with the rights and obligations of a depositary for hire. Any person or any public or private entity that finds and takes possession of any money, goods, things in action, or other personal property, or saves any domestic animal from harm, neglect, drowning, or starvation, shall, within a reasonable time, inform the owner, if known, and make restitution without compensation, except a reasonable charge for saving and taking care of the property. Any person who takes possession of a live domestic animal shall provide for humane treatment of the animal. > > (a) If the owner is unknown or has not claimed the property, the person saving or finding the property shall, if the property is of the value of one hundred dollars ($100) or more, within a reasonable time turn the property over to the police department of the city or city and county, if found therein, or to the sheriff’s department of the county if found outside of city limits, and shall make an affidavit, stating when and where he or she found or saved the property, particularly describing it. If the property was saved, the affidavit shall state: Graped by me IOW, unless the SD card is worth over $100, the OP can toss it in the garbage if he so chooses. The tough thing with laws like this in place is that if they get enforced to severely, people are going to see things that are expensive (wallet, iPhone, tablets etc), _want_ to help and say 'eh, screw it, I’m not going out of my way to take it to the police department. I’ll just leave there/take it to the front counter/put up a sign and hope they retrace their steps and remember coming here". The other day, I had a customer come in asking if a key he found belonged to me (as in was it a key for something in our store). I told him no, and went to grab it from him to keep it in case someone called. He said “Okay, I’ll put it on craigslist” That kinda pissed me off. We get people calling all the time for stuff. About half of our clientele are seniors. They’re not going to check CL for a missing key. And now, if they call for it, I have to refer them to CL (or, I’ll probably just find the listing and give them the number). Oh, and he wants them to ID the number on the key chain. Woulda been so much easier if he could’ve just left it at the register. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/66 "2013-01-31T03:25:25Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Actually, your link says the OP doesn’t have to do jack. > Graped by me So … after all this time the veil finally drops on one of the SDMB’s longest enduring mysteries. “Who \*was \*The Grapist?” Joey P. … we hardly knew ye. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/67 "2013-01-31T03:29:47Z")
> [@astro](#): > > So … after all this time the veil finally drops on one of the SDMB’s longest enduring mysteries. “Who \*was \*The Grapist?” > > Joey P. … we hardly knew ye. Nah, I’m just a copycat grapist. Keep everyone on their toes and make sure they still have their grape whistle at all times. You never know when you’ll need it. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/68 "2013-02-07T16:12:45Z")
I’m wondering if the UN Commission on Human Rights should be notified or not. The woman could be a victim of sex traffickers, and this is one of those one-in-a-million lucky breaks that one of the perps dropped it. BTW, who wants to bet that the OP still has the card intact, and is discreetly questioning local residents about some girl who was missing an SD card??? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/69 "2013-02-08T00:40:36Z")
You bumped this after a week just to take potshots at the OP? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/70 "2013-02-08T14:45:36Z")
No, he bumped it to take pot shots at me. :D;)😃 ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/71 "2013-02-22T09:25:25Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > You bumped this after a week just to take potshots at the OP? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184/72 "2013-02-22T17:14:19Z")
I’d give it another week or two. She may not do her laundry all that often. And it’s possible she doesn’t even know she lost it yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-private-sd-card-how-to-return-it/648184.md?page=3)