Bill - suppose the officer is no longer with us and the badge was part of an estate sale.

Now Mark comes into possesion of it through a third or fourth party transaction.

Who does the property belong to to begin with - NYPD or the officer?

If it's NYPD, then they may have a claim, but without a process to recover their property from a deceased officer, they are on unsure footing as far as charging Mr. Karoll with a crime, especially if he is in another state. What - they gonna extradite him? Hardly likely.

If it's the officer's and he has gone to his just reward, the estate sale pretty much nixes any claim the estate would have.

What's the specific NY statute - I'll look it up on Westlaw.

Thanks!

Sonny (AKA Mark Sutton, Phantom, The Shadow)