Lee and Ryan discuss asset forfeiture fund usage

And then for asset forfeiture funding, which I mentioned earlier in the statement, preliminary budget response, council called upon NYPD to utilize the asset forfeiture dollars for eligible costs that expand the investigative

resources before calling on city tax levy dollars.

So how much asset forfeiture has NYPD used over the course of this fiscal year, and what are the costs associated with it?

So right now we have a balance of about $52 million in asset forfeiture.

Of that, and sometimes it's just the timing of how it's drawn down, of that, $28 million, apologies, $38 million has already been accounted for, so there's $14 million balance.

So I completely understand the perspective of utilize this first instead of using city funds.

We work very closely to establish what is eligible for asset forfeiture.

There are very strict guidelines on the uses of asset forfeiture, and the things we utilize it for are things that are really critical to the department.

We use it for...

supplies and equipment.

We use it for critical training for our officers and travel to and from that training, as well as supplies and equipment and initiatives tied to investigations.

So those are the types of things where if we weren't using this money, we would then have to use city funds.

So most of it is actually already accounted for, and then we'll go forward and replenish those items I just listed.

So if not for using it there, we are in fact not just trying to hold it to do something, it's just supplementing the normal things that we would utilize our city funds for as well.

Okay, perfect.