DAYTON — They've got televisions, stereos, laptop computers and turntables; lawn mowers, golf clubs, flashlights and power tools; radios, jewelry and a kayak. Simply put, Dayton police plan to auction off just about anything you would find in a house or garage.

"I'm all about getting rid of it," said Sgt. Larry Faulkner, supervisor of Dayton's evidence room.

Lost, stolen, seized or surplus items now stacked floor to ceiling in the city's property evidence room will be put up for bid on the Internet beginning in August.

The Dayton City Commission, on Wednesday, July 9, approved a contract with California-based PropertyRoom.com Inc. to auction the items that would otherwise continue to collect dust or get thrown out.

"A lot of the items just appear," Faulkner said. "Someone finds it in the bushes, turns it in to us and the owner never claims it."

Faulkner said the property room staff isn't large enough to conduct auctions like it did in the past, so the deal from PropertyRoom.com almost seems too good to be true.

The company picks up the merchandise monthly for free, cleans it, then puts it up for auction on its Web site. The company handles all dealings with customers. The city just waits for the checks to arrive.

There are an estimated 45,000 items in the property room that will stay put, with 300 items going up for auction. The city expects to glean about $15,000 a year — or 50 percent of the proceeds — from the sales.

"That's a conservative estimate," Faulkner said. "In my opinion, it's a good deal."

Ohio law mandates that 25 percent of the earnings from the auctions go toward crime tip programs like CrimeStoppers. The balance goes into the city's general fund. What you won't find for auction are firearms or anything drug-related.

"We don't want to sell anything that will end up coming back to us," Faulkner said.

Bicycles also won't be auctioned as they bring in more cash when sold for scrap.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2362 or

josmith@DaytonDailyNews.com.