Wilton, Maine, police are using forfeited assets and seized drug money to supplement the department’s budget.
In fact, in numerous towns across the state, courts are supporting efforts by police to take ownership of seized assets that are part of criminal cases. Recently, police in Fairfield, Maine, received a court order for the seizure of $10,000 in cash taken during a drug bust. The money will be used to beef up enforcement of drug crimes and investigations.
According to local Maine media reports, drug investigations can eat up significant resources from a police department; a search warrant may require 10 deputies all working on overtime.
Maine’s asset forfeiture laws allow cash, property and assets to be handed over to police as long as police can prove the assets were used in connection with the related crimes. These same laws pertain directly to drug-related crimes. Any cash seized cannot be used to pay for police salaries; however, overtime costs can be funded.
Non-cash assets such as cars are typically sold at auction.
Related Resources
The original coverage is available, as is a recent article on similar seizures in New York. National public radio also recently ran a story on the topic.
The U.S. Department of Justice published guidelines for police in asset forfeiture, and the National Bureau of Economic Research recently conducted a study that found police seize more assets when they can keep those assets.
Many cities also have published policies and/or data regarding seized assets. Here are some examples from San Diego; Muscatine, Iowa; and Newport Beach, CA.