Law enforcementMinnesota counties police make big money from drug seizures

In 2011, law enforcement in southern Minnesota made a significant profit off crime busts. State Auditor Rebecca Otto released the Criminal Forfeitures Report last month, which offers information on the amount of cash and property seized by Minnesota law enforcement agencies.

Thirteen of the sixteen law enforcement agencies in southern Minnesota reported significant increases in proceeds due to the seizures they made. The other three agencies did not report any gains.

Rice County took in more than what the average citizen makes in a year as they collected $49,104 in 2011. Faribault Daily News reports that Dundas, Fairbault, Northfield, Lonsdale, and Morristown police departments all contributed to the total as well as the Rice County Drug Task Force and the Rice County Sheriff’s Department.

The Drug Task Force took the cake as they brought in $35, 951from the sale of the items they seized, which included six cars, a Kel-Tec .17-caliber pistol, and jewelry also taken during busts. After administrative expenses the net gain was $34,238.

The Owatonna Police Department saw their total skyrocket to $50,558 in 2011, up from $1,215 in 2010. Owatonna easily finished in first when it came to  city departments as they sold thirty-three cars and two motorcycles, most of which were obtained from driving under the influence arrests.

Dave Stensrud, the Rice County Drug Task Force commander and Deputy Sheriff, said in an e-mail the task force receives 70 percent of the money from its forfeitures. The other 30 percent is spread between the county attorney’s office, which gets 20 percent, and the state of Minnesota, which gets 10.

The money the Drug Task Force make off the seizures is used to pay informants as well as provide “buy” money for monitored drug deals and pay for specialized training and equipment. In a single bust, the task force could seize anywhere from $100 to $35,000. According to Stensrud, the task force is currently involved in a case  from which they could receive more than $20,000.

The increases in seizure money does not mean more money for law enforcement. The auditor’s report for 2011 was done after changes in forfeiture reporting were enacted by the 2010 legislature. The changes expanded the range of information  reported to include forfeitures involving driving under the influence, game and fishing violations, off-road vehicle violations, gambling, and racketeering.

Stensrud said the drug task for has open cases at this time in which the proceeds will be split between participating Rice County jurisdictions based upon a mutual agreement.

“It’s just a way of creating goodwill between agencies,” Stensrud told the Faribault Daily News.

In 2011, 6,338 forfeiture incidents were reported statewide — 4,999 involved seized cash, property that was sold, or an agreement that required monetary compensation to the agency. The net proceeds were more than $6.9 million.