A lot of towns pool toghether in auction. For all you know, the auction could be three states over, every three years. Problem is, a case has to be closed for the item to go to auction. If they confiscate things of an unknown owner, until the owner shows up and claims it (ratting himself out), the case will not be closed, as it could possibly be linked to a bigger crime somewhere. Most of the stuff is either stuck in a warehouse or taken home by an officer who has taken a fancy to it. When I was a kid, every bike I ever owned came from the police station. My grandfather would take me to the station, have me pick three bikes that I liked. He then would go and pull the files to see how old the case was, and whichever bike was the oldest case, I went home with.