# Prosecutor asks to spend $502,000 in seized drug-case money on police vehicles and gear

## What happened
A representative of the prosecutor's office asked the council to appropriate $502,000 that had come into the office's seized-asset account from recent drug-case forfeitures, split as $250,000 for vehicles, $52,000 for a three-year online investigative-leads service used by Terre Haute Police Department, and $200,000 for equipment ranging from firearms to protective and tactical gear, with several hundred thousand dollars more from another forfeiture expected later this year. The council's presiding officer said they would abstain from voting on this item because there was a chance the money could end up spent at a business they own.


## The outcome
Presented to the council for consideration; no vote was taken at this meeting.

## Sources
- [$502,000 forfeiture appropriation explained](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAM5SjKj5tE&t=3149)
- [Spending breakdown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAM5SjKj5tE&t=3215)
- [Presiding officer flags conflict, plans to abstain](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAM5SjKj5tE&t=3294)

*Also known as: seized assets fund · drug task force forfeiture · THPD vehicles and equipment · forfeiture appropriation*