§ 52 — Responsibility for public property

§ 52. Responsibility for public property. 1. Public property of the\nstate and of the United States shall be issued, kept, stored,\nsafeguarded, maintained, inventoried, inspected, surveyed and disposed\nof; and responsibility and accountability for public property, liability\nfor the loss, damage or destruction thereof and relief from such\nresponsibility, accountability and liability shall be fixed and\ndetermined by the chief of staff; as provided in applicable laws of the\nUnited States, regulations issued thereunder or regulations issued\npursuant to this chapter.\n 2. When public property is lost, damaged or destroyed through the\nnegligence or fault of a member of the organized militia, the amount\ndetermined as the value of such property or the cost of repairing the\nsame may be collected from any pay or allowance due or to become due him\nfrom the state. Such amount may also be collected from the military fund\nor other allowances payable by the state to the unit of the organized\nmilitia to which such member belonged at the time such property was\nlost, damaged or destroyed, or such amount may be deducted one-half in\nsuccessive calendar years from any fund, allowance or money due or to\nbecome due such unit from the state.\n 3. An action may be maintained by the people of the state in any court\nhaving jurisdiction thereof by the attorney-general upon the request of\nthe chief of staff to recover from a member or former member of the\norganized militia found responsible for public property lost, damaged or\ndestroyed through his negligence or fault the amount determined as the\nvalue of such property or the cost of repairing the same. Monies so\nrecovered shall be paid into the military fund of the unit to which such\nmember or former member belonged at the time such property was lost,\ndamaged or destroyed.\n