Chillicothe PD Sees Major Funding From Forfeitures

Thanks to the criminals it apprehends, the Ohio-based Chillicothe Police Department has been able to keep its officers well equipped over the last few years.

According to the Chillicothe Gazette:

The Chillicothe Police Department reports a majority of its current forfeiture funds come from criminal forfeitures from 2012 to 2014. In 2012, the department obtained $11,065 directly tied to criminal activity. In 2013, $13,117 in cash and one car were taken, and $19,151 and another vehicle have been seized so far this year.

Criminal forfeitures largely are made up of property seized in relation to criminal activity, such as drug arrests, Capt. Larry Bamfield said.

Bamfield said once the department gets the money or property, it is deposited into the city’s law enforcement fund and used at the discretion of the chief for supplies and training. Items that have been purchased in the past include ammunition, tactical team supplies, uniforms, vehicles for detectives, phone traces, meth lab suits, and decals for the department’s crime scene van and armored truck.

“Most of it has been for undercover cars,” Bamfield said. “It can be used for any other law enforcement purpose approved by the chief or the mayor.” Keep Reading