Columbia Police Department sitting on large chest of asset forfeiture cash
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Columbia Police Department has more than $420,000 in its coffers from sales of seized items.
The Columbia City Council heard a presentation Monday on CPD's Asset Forfeiture Program from Chief Jill Schlude.
The Asset Forfeiture Program is a federal program under the Department of Justice. Money made from seized assets in criminal cases is used to fund programs in the department.
CPD has used the cash over the past decade to buy new equipment such as the Bearcat armored vehicle, training classes and updated software.
According to a council memo, starting in 2019, the Columbia Police Department did not spend any money from the fund, resulting in a buildup of $420,385.20.
Schlude proposed ways to spend it Monday.
The memo stated the two options for the money. One is a new National Integrated Ballistic Information Network machine and a more efficient recorded technology plan.
According the the memo, the machine captures and compares ballistic evidence through a database. When shell cases or firearms are collected as evidence, they will be entered into the machine for identification and to provide information for future cases.
During the meeting, Schlude said that without this machine, police have to send ballistic evidence to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for identification, prolonging the investigation process. Schlude said this will increase efficiency and shorten evidence turnaround time.
The second option is a new camera system with Axon. The department's body-worn cameras and in-car cameras are contracted with different vendors. With a new system under one vendor, recorded evidence will be more streamlined and organized.
The money will additionally go to new body-worn camera technology that starts recording if an officer unholsters a firearm at a scene. Schlude said that this program will help with improving transparency and reducing human error.
Schlude said that around $2,500 of the program funds annually can go to nonprofits and will be treated like a grant program with a vetting process.
Many council members were interested in using funds for community education, with Ward 4 Councilman Nick Foster proposing a pilot program and Mayor Barbara Buffaloe considering using the funds for a yearly grant program.
The final decision on where the funds will go is yet to be made. However, Buffaloe was open to considering any options as a budget amendment.
