The New York City Police Department Property Clerk Division has instituted a World Trade Center Property Initiative with regards to personal property recovered from the World Trade Center tragedy of September 11, 2001. The mission of the NYPD Property Clerk Division with regards to World Trade Center property is to return all recovered personal property in the most dignified and professional manner possible and within the strict guidelinesimposed by local law. A synopsis of this initiative may be acquired by accessing the NYPD/ Property Clerk Division web page at:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/ssb/wtc_property_announcement.html

I have in the past met with various family groups to answer their questions regarding recovered personal property. I am of course willing to make myself available to any and all groups in order to address their concerns and answer their questions. Arrangements can be made through Tom Curritore, First Deputy Commissioner Mayor's Community Assistance Unit.

If you have any further inquiries, please do no hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely yours,

Jack J. Trabitz 646 610 5905
Inspector

Synopsis of Initiative

WORLD TRADE CENTER PROPERTY

Since the World Trade Center (WTC) tragedy thousands of items of personal property has been recovered from Ground Zero, the Fresh Kills site and the Medical Examiner's Office at Bellevue Hospital. This property has been invoiced by the NYPD and is in the custody of the NYPD's Property Clerk Division. The majority of property consists of documents such as credit cards and pieces of identification. The Property Clerk Division's mission is to return all items of recovered property to its rightful owner or next of kin in the most professional and sensitive manner while adhering to guidelines imposed by local law. The Property Clerk Division is keenly aware of the sentimental value of these items and will make every effort possle to identify the owners and return the property regardless of its condition or monetary value. To assist in the often difficult process of identifying the owner of a piece of property, additional personnel resources have been dedicated to this effort such as Detectives, electronic technicians and even volunteers from the private sector e.g. jewelers. Serial numbers, inscriptions, even electronically stored information in cell phones and pagers are utilized in an attempt to identify the owner of a piece of property. Items which cannot be initially linked to an owner are digitally photographed and bar coded for future identification efforts. This identification process will continue indefinitely and all property recovered from the WTC will be retained until claimed by its owner or next of kin. Regulations which permit the destruction/auction of unclaimed property after a specific holding period have been suspended with respect to all property recovered from the WTC.

Guidelines for the return of World Trade Center Property Property recovered at the Medical Examiner's Office

When the identity of a deceased person from the WTC Tragedy is established, next of kin are notified by Detectives from the NYPD's Missing Persons Squad. The Detectives will also notify the next of kin of property recovered with the deceased and provide them with an NYPD property voucher number. The next of kin may then contact the Mayors Office -Community Assistance Unit, 51 Chambers Street, New York, NY (212) 788-7418 and they will arrange for the immediate return of the recovered property.

Property recovered from Ground Zero and the Fresh Kills site

When the owner of a piece of property is established, the NYPD's Property Clerk Division will notify the owner or next of kin via US Mail with complete instructions for claiming the property. The property is available at the NYPD's Manhattan Property Clerk's Office located at Police Headquarters, 1 Police Plaza, New York, NY Room S-20, Street Level. For the convenience of claimants, a special window has been designated at this facility solely for the return of WTC property so that victims or their next of kin will receive expedited service. A person who is notified that their property has been recovered may pick up their property simply by presenting adequate identification at the Manhattan Property Clerk's Office. Next of kin who are seeking to obtain the property of a deceased victim, must first obtain authorization to pick up the property from either the Surrogate's Court if the deceased had a will or the Public Administrator's Office if the deceased person did not have a will. Under normal circumstances the Surrogate's Court or the Public Administrator's Office in the deceased's county of residence would have jurisdiction in these matters, however for the convenience of WTC victims, special arrangements have been made with the New York County Surrogate's Court and Public Administrator's Office whereby they will also resolve these issues no matter where the deceased resided. Both of these offices are located in the New York County Surrogate Court Building, 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY which is approximately one block west of the Manhattan Property Clerk's Office in Police Headquarters. A copy of the NYPD's Property Clerk Voucher is necessary to receive authorization by either the Surrogate's Court or the Public Administrator's Office to obtain property of a deceased person. Claimants who do not have this document may obtain a copy at the Manhattan Property Clerk's Office. Questions relating to the return of WTC related property may be directed to the following:

NYPD-Manhattan Property Clerk's Office (646) 610-7202

Mayor's Office-Community Assistance Unit (212) 788-7418

New York County Surrogate Court (212) 374-8233

New York Public Administrator's Office (212) 788-8430

Personal Effects Meeting 8/7/02

Representatives from Give Your Voice met with Jack Trabietz, from the NYPD Property Clerk’s Office.

Items of Discussion:

Personal effects have been received from the World Trade Center site, the NYC Morgue, and the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island.

Anything coming from the Morgue was directly associated with human remains and was cataloged as such. These items stay with the remains as a means of identification and are stored in a Queens location. When an identification is made, the personal effects are removed from the remains and the office of Missing Persons will notify the next of kin.

The majority of personal effects held by the NYPD are credit cards and ID cards. Some belong to the deceased, and some belong to survivors and companies.

The Property Clerk’s office is working very hard at getting all items back to the appropriate people. They have a large staff dedicated to the World Trade Center attack. They work in the following order:

Concentrate first on identifiable property (items with names and addresses).

· When an identification of property is made, the NYPD checks to see if the person is deceased. If so, a letter is sent to the next of kin saying that the NYPD MAY have personal effects belonging to their loved one. The next of kin must go down to the Property Clerk’s office and identify the items.
· Approximately 1400 letters have been sent out to next of kin to date. Some letters have been returned as undeliverable.

Concentrate on items that have a name only.

· If the item is a credit card for example, the NYPD must issue a subpoena to the credit card company to release the address of the survivor.

Concentrate on unidentifiable items, such as jewelry

· Items are all digitally photographed and bar-coded.
· They are kept in a safe area.
· If the serial number or inscription information has been submitted by the next of kin or a survivor, there is a higher likelihood that the item will be returned at a quicker pace. Any information a jeweler can provide is also helpful.

Concentrate on Electronic Devices (cell phones, etc)
· These items exist in varying stages of damage.
· Items are sent to an electronic expert who tries to identify the owner’s phone number. Then a subpoena must be issued to the phone company to obtain the owner’s name.
· Still unidentified items:
· Each item is given a voucher (however, some vouchers contain hundreds of items). The NYPD is currently re-sorting all items, in order to ensure that each item has it’s own voucher.
· There are approximately 12,000 vouchers that still remain. However, once the re-sorting is complete there may be as many as 40,000.
· Legal Requirements to be Next of Kin
· If the deceased did not have a will, NY residents must go to the Manhattan Public Administrator (across the street from 1 Police Plaza) to obtain a statement saying that you are the legal claimant.
· If the deceased did have a will, NY residents must go to the Surrogate’s Court.
· Residents of other states should call the Manhattan Public Administrator for information.
· Multiple Claimants for the Same Item
· Goes to a judiciary body.
· Trade workers should be honored and memorialized, just as the NYPD and FDNY will be. Therefore, damaged tools have a place in history. The Personal Effects office, however, has not seen a single tool box recovered, nor have they seen clothing, desks, chairs, etc.
· Under no circumstances will any unidentified property be destroyed.
· Important to keep in mind: Just because something was in a certain condition the morning of September 11th (i.e., jewelry), does not mean that it is still in that condition after such an intense tragedy.
· Information and updates will be posted on the NYPD website at www.nypd.org under the Property Clerk’s Office in approximately 2 months.

GIVE YOUR VOICE Meeting with the Office of the Manhattan Property Clerk
Meeting Minutes

GIVE YOUR VOICE contacted the NYC Property Clerk’s office to obtain an update on the status of the office’s requirements and plan to return the personal belongings of loved ones lost on September 11th. The following are answers to questions posed at the meeting. Please write us with other questions that you might have with respect to the return of the personal property of your loved ones.

1. Are the personal belongings of our loved ones secure?

All personal property gathered from the three locations, [World Trade Center, Freshkills and the morgue] is placed under the guardianship of the NYPD Property Clerk Division. All belongings are handled with great care and kept under tight security.

2. When does the Property Clerk expect to return the personal belongings of loved ones to family members?

The Property Clerk is diligently working to ensure that all items are returned as quickly as possible. They have asked that family members remain patient as they work to ensure that all items are returned to the right/proper family. Items are returned to their proper owner(s) upon presentation of acceptable identification. Under no circumstances will any of the property be discarded. The normal 90-day claim has been suspended for the World Trade Center Tragedy.

3. Where does the property go after it has been recovered?

Property recovered at Ground Zero and Fresh Kills.
For property that is not needed for evidence, the Property Clerk Division sends out notifications via the U.S. Mail to identified owners (if address/contact information can be ascertained). Owners are advised to retrieve their property at Manhattan Property Clerk, Room S-20, Street Level of Police Headquarters, 646-610-5906, by presenting identification.

If the owner is deceased, an administrator must be designated. Estates of deceased persons who had a will are handled by the Surrogate’s Court. Estates of deceased persons who died without a will are handled by the Public Administrator’s Office. Special arrangements have been made with the Manhattan Public Administrator, 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY, 212-788-8430, to authorize a specific family member as the designated person to claim property. This precludes victims from returning to the decedent’s resident county and seeking authorization from that county’s Public Administrator/Surrogate’s Court. A special window at the Manhattan Property Clerk’s Office has been designated solely for WTC victims.

Property Recovered at Bellevue Morgue (with human remains).
When the remains of a victim of the WTC event are identified at Bellevue Morgue, the NYPD Missing Persons Squad notifies the next of kin of the recovery. The Missing Person Squad will also notify the next of kin of any recovered property associated with this recovery. Accordingly, the next of kin should ensure that they receive a voucher number. (Note: Property found with the deceased is used to assist in the positive identification of the individual. Upon positive identification of the deceased, all property belonging to the victim is personally returned to next of kin at the Family Assistance Center).

The personal property recovered with the victim is kept at a Property Clerk emergency storage facility at the Bellevue Medical Examiner’s facility. This is done to expedite and facilitate the Missing Person’s identification process.

Mayor’s Office Community Assistance Unit – Tom Curitore – 212-788-7418. Mr. Curitore telephones Property Clerk personnel assigned to Bellevue Morgue, and the designated property is immediately hand delivered by Property Clerk personnel to the Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit at 51 Chambers Street for immediate return to the court-designated next of kin.

4. Can Family Members Assist the Property Clerk to Identify Personal Belongings?

Unidentifiable items collected require much more time to return to their rightful owner(s). Family members can assist the Property Clerk by gathering any information or photos that may help them to identify property. For example if a wedding ring is missing, pictures may have been taken of that ring for insurance purposes. Providing photos of these items would help in the identification process. Serial numbers, a bill of sale, or a special engraving that could assist the Property Clerk in identifying a particular or unique item is most appreciated.

5. How are family members notified after identification of property is made?

Once the identification is made, a two-page letter is issued by the Property Clerk to notify family members that retrieval of a personal effect(s) of their loved one(s) can be made. The first page begins by notifying the family member that the Property Clerk may have property that belonged to their loved one. The second page provides instructions on how the family member can retrieve the item(s) and outlines the information/proper identification they need to bring to the Property Clerk’s office for proof of the next of kin.

In a case where no formal “will” is involved, family members must go to the Public Administrator’s office located at 31 Chambers Street. The Public Administrator will determine next of kin. Once the next of kin has been determined, a voucher is stamped. Family members must receive a voucher and have it stamped by the public administrator in order for the property to be released by the Property Clerk’s Office. The Property Clerk will then deliver and release the deceased’s items to the family members.

In the case were loved ones have left a will; a letter of testamentary is required for property to be released. The letter of testamentary can be picked up by the Surrogates Court. Once that Letter of Testamentary is given, the Property Clerk will then release the property to the family.

6. How can I obtain a Voucher?

Vouchers can be picked up directly from the Property Clerk’s office at 1 Police Plaza (street level). A liaison has been established with the Public Administrator’s office at 31 Chambers Street and will assist in determining next of kin. The Public Administrator will stamp the voucher you received at 1 Police Plaza in order for the property to be released by the Property clerk. The property clerk will deliver and release the items to the family members at the Manhattan Property Clerk’s office located at One Police Plaza. (Street Level).

7. What are the Property Clerk’s Hours of Operation?

Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM (Not opened on the weekends.)

Note: In an effort to assist the family members, The Property Clerk has set up a separate window for family members to access information on their loved ones property. Family members do not need to wait on public lines.