Unattended Items or Lost Property

Description: 

From time to time customers may inadvertently leave behind personal property that is discovered by staff or customers that may appear suspicious, or items may have been left intentionally by someone intending to disrupt the operation of an office or cause physical harm to others. The following steps are recommended if unattended items or lost property are discovered or reported.

Consider using the HOT protocol (see below) when faced with unattended items to help guide your actions.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Emergency Response Team/Leadership

  • Ensure that all staff/visitors are notified and removed from the area if necessary.

  • Ensure that 9-1-1 is called if necessary.

  • Direct emergency responders to the location of the suspicious item(s).

  • Notify staff/visitors when emergency responders provide the “All Clear” to return to the area where the item was located.

• Staff

  • Attempt to locate the owner of the property by announcement or asking persons nearby if they know who the item belongs to.

  • Use your best judgment to determine if the property is just lost and does not appear to be suspicious or dangerous (such as books, folders or other items that are not of sufficient size to conceal a potential harmful device, larger items that can conceal a device, such as bags, boxes, briefcase, purse, or containers of similar size should be further scrutinized and approached with caution).

  • If time permits, review video surveillance if available to determine if the property belongs to someone still in the area and attempt to verify they forgot it and have them take possession of the item.

  • If unable to locate the owner of the property and there is a security officer at your location, report the item to the security officer.

  • If the security officer is able to determine the item as safe, the item can be removed and relocated to somewhere out of public view so it won’t continue to cause alarm.

  • If no security officer is present or the security officer is unable to determine if the item is not a threat and the item is still unclaimed after several minutes, call 9-1-1 to report the incident and what steps you’ve taken to identify the owner.

  • Calmly remove customers and employees from the immediate area if possible.

  • If the immediate area cannot be cleared, then the entire area or building should be evacuated and wait for police or fire department to respond.

  • If the item is deemed safe and not a threat, the item should be treated as lost property and be relocated to an area out of public view to alleviate any further concerns or disruptions to service.

  • Attempt to identify and contact the owner of the property and arrange for its return.

  • If the owner cannot be identified or contacted, the property should be held for a reasonable amount of time to allow the owner to return to claim the property.

  • If 9-1-1 was called or there are any unusual circumstances, complete an Incident Report and submit it to Facilities, Safety and Security per the Incident Reporting guidelines.

HOT Protocol:

H - HIDDEN? - Has an attempt been made to hide the object? Not in general view and may have been deliberately positioned in a discrete area? If the item falls within this criteria, it is not necessary to follow the step-by-step actions below, you should call 9-1-1 immediately and evacuate the area.

O - OBVIOUS? - Is it obviously suspicious - signs of tape, wiring, batteries, ticking, odor, etc.?

T - TYPICAL? - Is the object typical of the environment? Is it out of the ordinary? Not typical for the normal everyday situation or location (i.e. a briefcase or purse left in a public waiting area, versus a backpack placed behind a vending machine or under a desk.)

Contact the Facilities, Safety & Security Emergency Management Specialist at dor_safetyandsecurity@state.co.us if you have questions or need additional guidance following an incident.