Intellectual Property Law

If an employee quit, and has not returned the key to my salon in 4 weeks, is she holding stolen property now?

I keep asking and asking and she keeps telling me she is busy. do i have a right to file a police report?

Public Comments

1. You have the right to file a police report, but it will be a pointless act which avails you nothing. They will tell you to change the locks. You cannot prove the employee took the key deliberately as an act of theft nor can you prove that they still have the key and haven't lost it.
2. Just change the locks. Even if she returns the key, she could have made a copy. Change the locks and say goodbye to bad baggage.
3. change the locks;it's not worth the BS to get the key back.Also,how can you be sure she didn't make a copy?
4. I fyou gave it to her it is not "stolen". A cop won't care. Either go pick it up or send her a stamped, self addressed envelope. Problem solved for under a dollar. Or realize you lived OK without it for a month, maybe it doesn't matter. Or change the locks.
5. Change the locks, consider it a business expense, write it off on your 2008 taxes, and move on.
6. Change the locks.
7. No, it's not stolen property. You can call the cops, but I guarantee that they won't waste their time. Tell her to put it in the mail to you if she can't deliver it in person, or if you're that worried about it, change the locks.
8. Actually No. Unless you had her sign something when you gave her the key, or started her employment, saying she would turn it back in - it's not stealing you cannot file a theft report on it. (It's just neglect). Plus she could just make a copy and give you back the original, so what would the point of that be? In order for it to be stolen, she would have had to OBTAIN it without permission, not just keep it without permission. If you want to prevent this in the future, after you spend the $50 to have someone change and re-key the lock. Make a little form for all your employees when you give them the key, that once employment is terminated either by your or the employee, that they will return the key or you will charge them a $50 fee. Also state that you will subtract this fee from their last paycheck, if they have have unpaid wages when employment is terminated. This will do 2 things, 1- people are likely to make sure you get the key back cuz people want their money. 2- even if you dont get the key back, the $50 fee will help pay for the guy to re-key your lock.