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Graham County OKs using RICO funds to reimburse Thatcher police for new drone
Summary
The Graham County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to reimburse the Town of Thatcher for 50% of a new police drone, using RICO forfeiture funds; county attorney and law enforcement cited officer safety and interagency sharing.
Graham County supervisors voted unanimously Sept. 2 to reimburse the Town of Thatcher for 50% of the cost of a new police drone using RICO forfeiture funds. County Attorney Scott Bennett told the board the purchase is intended to support the countywide law enforcement task force and improve officer safety.
Bennett said he was approached by Detective Carter of Thatcher Police Department and described limits in the department’s current drone, including deteriorated battery life and reduced maneuverability. “The advantages of a drone are not only surveillance, but what I'd really like to focus on is the fact that there's so many officer safety concerns,” Bennett said. He added that RICO funds are forfeiture proceeds, not taxpayer dollars: “RICO comes not from the taxpayer, but it's purely the funds that have been forfeited, by criminals.”
The county attorney proposed that Thatcher buy the drone and Graham County reimburse 50% of the cost. Bennett and other speakers said Thatcher officers and Detective Carter would make the drone available to other agencies in the county, including the sheriff’s office and Safford police, when requested.
Supervisors expressed support for using the restricted funds for equipment that enhances officer safety and interagency cooperation. One supervisor said the board had not discussed a specific dollar amount in detail but estimated the drone would cost about $3,500. The board then moved and seconded a motion to approve reimbursement; the vote was recorded as three ayes and the motion passed.
Discussion: Board members framed the expenditure as a targeted, one-time use of forfeiture funds to improve safety and investigative capability. Several supervisors praised the cooperative arrangement with Thatcher and other agencies and noted potential future uses such as scene documentation for injury-accident investigations.
Decision: The board approved reimbursement of 50% of the drone purchase price to the Town of Thatcher from RICO forfeiture funds. The exact reimbursement amount was not specified in the motion; one speaker estimated the cost near $3,500.
Next steps: County Attorney Bennett and Thatcher PD will implement the reimbursement. Bennett said Detective Carter would be available to deploy the drone for county incidents when requested.
