§ 252. Found property and found instruments to be deposited with
police; penalty for failure to deliver to police; delivery to persons in
possession of premises where found. 1. Except as provided in subdivision
five of section two hundred fifty-six of this chapter or as otherwise
prescribed pursuant to section two hundred fifty of the general
municipal law, any person who finds lost property of the value of twenty
dollars or more or comes into possession of property of the value of
twenty dollars or more with knowledge that it is lost property or found
property shall, within ten days after the finding or acquisition of
possession thereof, either return it to the owner or report such finding
or acquisition of possession and deposit such property in a police
station or police headquarters of the city where the finding occurred or
possession was acquired, but if the finding occurred or possession was
acquired in buildings or on grounds or premises under the control and
supervision of the commissioner of general services as described in
article two of the public buildings law, then the property may also be
deposited in a station of the capital buildings police. If the finding
occurred or possession was acquired outside a city, then such property
shall be deposited in a station or substation of the state police or in
a police station or police headquarters, including a sheriff's office,
of the county, town, or village where the finding occurred or possession
was acquired. If the finding occurred or possession was acquired in
buildings or on grounds or premises constituting a state park, parkway,
recreational facility or historic site under the jurisdiction of the
commissioner of parks, recreation and historic preservation, then such
property may also be deposited in a station of the regional state park
police. If the finding occurred or possession was acquired in buildings
or on the grounds or premises of the state-operated institutions in the
state university of New York, then such property may also be deposited
with a security officer or police officer appointed by the state
university. Property so deposited shall be retained and disposed of in
accordance with procedures set forth in sections two hundred fifty-three
through two hundred fifty-seven of this chapter except that the powers
and duties in said sections mentioned to be performed by the police
shall be performed by security officers or police officers appointed by
the state university.

2. Except as provided in subdivision five of section two hundred
fifty-six of this chapter or as otherwise prescribed pursuant to section
two hundred fifty of the general municipal law, any person who finds an
instrument or comes into possession of an instrument with knowledge that
it has been found shall, within ten days after the finding or
acquisition of possession thereof, either return it to a person entitled
thereto or report the finding or acquisition of possession and deposit
the instrument in a police station or police headquarters, as provided
in subdivision one of this section, as if such instrument were lost
property having a value of ten dollars or more.

3. Except as provided in subdivision four of this section, any person
who shall refuse or wilfully neglect to comply with the provisions of
subdivision one or subdivision two of this section shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of
not more than one hundred dollars or imprisonment not exceeding six
months or both.

4. A person shall not be subject to criminal prosecution for failure
to report a finding or acquisition of possession of found property or of
a found instrument to the police and deposit such property or instrument
with the police if, in lieu thereof, he delivers the property or
instrument to the person in possession of the premises where the
property or instrument was found, provided he had no reason to believe
that such person would not comply with subdivision one or subdivision
two of this section.

A person who delivers found property or a found instrument to the
person in possession of the premises where the property or instrument
was found is not liable to the owner or person entitled thereto for such
delivery if he had no reason to believe that such person in possession
of the premises would not comply with subdivision one or subdivision two
of this section.