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Committee approves MPD asset-forfeiture fund transfers amid calls for clearer emergency-use policy and public input on drone spending
Summary
The Finance and Personnel Committee approved transferring federal forfeiture funds to the Milwaukee Police Department budget and authorized expenditures including a drone program expansion; aldermen pressed for a written policy defining emergencies and for more resident input on how forfeiture dollars are used.
The Finance and Personnel Committee on Wednesday approved a substitute resolution to transfer funds from the MPD federal forfeiture revenue contribution account into the police department’s budget and voted to authorize multiple expenditures, including funds for a planned expansion of a drone pilot program.
Committee members asked detailed questions about a reserve of approximately $667,000 set aside for future or emergency needs and about the process for using those funds midyear. Police presenters said the reserve is intended for unexpected, time-sensitive needs—examples previously included replacing duty firearms on short notice—and that DOJ guidelines place limits on permissible uses. “The guidelines of the DOJ provide strict parameters on how the money is to be spent,” a department representative said, and department leaders said they would return to committee before any transfer from the trust account.
Members requested written guidance to clarify what qualifies as an emergency. Alderman Scott Speicher and others urged a formal policy rather than ad hoc judgments: “I’d rather see some sort of policy that allows the department to more efficiently access those funds,” Speicher said. Alderwoman Milele Coggs and others also urged that future allocations consider direct resident input and engagement on community policing priorities; the committee discussed that past outreach had not occurred for this file.
The committee also discussed specific proposed expenditures included in the transfer file. Committee members were told the budget includes about $250,000 to expand the drone pilot program and $45,000 for training for a drone or airborne assessment team, with the department planning fuller presentations to the Fire and Police Commission and the Common Council later in the week. A department official said the intent is to present the program’s statement of intent and operational detail at those meetings.
Committee members voted to adopt the substitution and approve the transfers and appropriations as presented; no objections were recorded in open session. Presenters said that if funds are transferred to the department’s appropriation account, the department could reprogram equipment purchases internally but would still be required to return to the committee if they wanted to move funds out of the trust account reserved for future emergencies.
