EVESHAM -- New Jersey police departments would be permitted to donate unclaimed bicycles to non-profits or community-centered organizations under a bill introduced in the state legislature by Assemblyman Brandon Umba (R-Medford).
Thrown down on lawns and driveways, discarded on sidewalks and street corners, abandoned bicycles often find themselves in the custody of local police, Umba explained.
Under current law, police departments must sell unclaimed property in their possession, holding auctions to get stolen or abandoned bikes out of storage and back into the community. But, Umba says, the staff time and costs to prepare bicycles for sale often doesn’t outweigh the charitable value from making a direct donation to children in need.
“Just like the good citizens who return a lost bike to town hall, police departments just want to do the right thing. Donating that bike to a family or child in need is often the best way to go about it,” Umba said. “My bill would provide municipalities and their police with the ability to turn an unclaimed piece of property into an opportunity for play and recreation for children in the community they serve.”
Umba’s legislation would allow towns to decide whether donating unclaimed bicycles would work best for their local police and the timeline for doing so. Towns would be permitted to donate a bicycle if it has gone unclaimed for at least six months.
The bill, A-273, has been referred to the Assembly Community Development and Affairs Committee where it awaits further action.
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