There are rows and rows of bicycles in the Richmond County sheriff's property room.

But without photos or serial numbers to identify them, many people will never ride them again.

Each day, deputies and investigators in Richmond County come across all kinds of items seized in their cases.

From leaf blowers to wheelchairs, shotguns to snow globes, thousands of things are stacked in the nondescript, gray building across from the Law Enforcement Center.

"There's a little bit of everything," said Lt. Jimmy Young, who works to identify property the department no longer needs. "You name it, it's in here."

Some things will stay there indefinitely, as the criminal cases that led to their seizure work their way through the judicial system.

Lt. Young pointed out several boxes emblazoned with the name of convicted serial killer and death row inmate Reinaldo Rivera during a tour of the property room Tuesday.

The evidence will have to stay in the department's custody until the sentence against Mr. Rivera, who was arrested in 2000 and admitted to raping and killing four women, is carried out.

Others, such as the bicycles, will stay for 90 days -- enough time for Lt. Young to try to find owners.

If he can't find them, the items are loaded into a truck and crushed at the county landfill.

Lt. Young said his job would be a lot easier if most people simply kept the serial numbers on their products.

"Serial numbers are a great help when they file a report, whether it's a bicycle, a TV or a weapon," he said.

Lt. Tony Walden, of the sheriff's property crimes division, said most of the items are seized when investigators serve search warrants at homes. Many times, they find property that's been stolen.

"We find property when we do a search warrant. You sometimes have the suspect saying, 'Yeah, I stole it, but I stole so much stuff I can't tell you where it's from,' " Lt. Walden said.

He suggests that people also take pictures of their property and even scratch some kind of mark into it so it will be identifiable later.

If you think the sheriff's office might have something of yours, try contacting the investigator working on your case, he said.