Which of the following is a standard step after discovering missing property?

• A. Notify supervisor, secure area, file an incident report/loss report.
• B. Secure area only.
• C. Ignore the incident.
• D. Notify supervisor, secure area, file an incident report/loss report, conduct a preliminary inquiry, and initiate a formal investigation if needed.

Answer: (D)

When missing property is discovered, the immediate, standard response is to act in a way that preserves evidence, documents the incident, and starts the appropriate level of inquiry. That means notifying your supervisor, securing the area to prevent tampering, and filing an incident or loss report to create an official record. From there, you conduct a preliminary inquiry to gather facts—what was missing, where and when it was last seen, who had access, and potential causes. If this initial work suggests possible loss or wrongdoing, you then initiate a formal investigation to determine responsibility and recover assets or prevent recurrence.

This sequence ensures traceability and accountability. Simply securing the area or filing a report without following up with a preliminary inquiry and potential formal investigation leaves gaps in what happened and who’s responsible. Conversely, ignoring the incident is never appropriate. The other options fall short because they omit critical steps needed to establish a complete, defensible response.