Gulfport council accepts forfeited vehicle, directs drug-forfeiture funds to training and equipment

The Gulfport City Council unanimously approved a resolution to accept a vehicle forfeited to the Gulfport Police Department after a drug-related seizure and approved a related budget amendment to direct cash from a drug case into training and equipment.

Council members said the actions matter because courts often award forfeited property to law enforcement and council approval is needed for city acceptance and lawful use of forfeiture proceeds.

Councilmember Mike Kozlowski asked for detail on item 11, and Chief Cooper said there was one vehicle forfeited during a drug seizure. “Just 1,” he said when asked whether multiple vehicles were involved. Later in the meeting, a staff member described budget amendment 77 (item 17) as a drug-forfeiture matter: “It is... cash from a drug case going into the training and... we can't use it for personnel. We'll use it for training and equipment,” the speaker said.

The items were approved as part of a block of resolutions and ordinances (items 5 through 13) and later budget amendments (items 14 through 17); the clerk recorded the votes and the motions carried unanimously on those items. The council recorded Ms. Hynes’ nay on item 9 earlier in the meeting, but the forfeiture and the drug-forfeiture budget amendment carried.

The council did not provide additional detail in the public record about the vehicle’s make, model or the amount of cash transferred into the training line; staff said personnel costs are not eligible uses for the forfeiture funds. Chief Cooper and staff confirmed the forfeited assets will be used only for allowed purposes such as training and equipment.