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Overland Park committee approves federal forfeiture report showing $361,000 in 2024 spending
Summary
The Public Safety Committee unanimously recommended city-council approval of the city's federal equitable sharing (forfeiture) report; staff said the city received modest federal forfeiture revenues in 2024 and spent $361,000 on training, equipment and contracts.
The Overland Park Public Safety Committee on a unanimous vote recommended city council approval of the city's annual federal equitable sharing (forfeiture) report for the 2024 reporting period.
Gina (city staff) told the committee that the city received approximately $21,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice and $99,000 from the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2024. She said the city spent $361,000 from federal equitable sharing funds in 2024, with the reported uses including $91,000 for training activities, $244,000 for public-safety equipment, $10,000 for contractual services, and $16,000 for travel related to training.
The city’s annual report is required by the federal equitable-sharing program for jurisdictions that participate in interagency forfeiture cases. Gina said the use of these funds is restricted by federal law and that the federal government may audit how the funds are spent. When asked whether the city maintains a policy limiting how large a carryover balance the city may retain, Gina said, “There is no policy related to specifically how much we can carryover.” She added that the department plans to program most of the remaining carryover balance for spending over the next year or two and mentioned the handgun replacement as an example of an item the police department expects to fund with forfeiture monies.
Committee action A motion recommending city-council approval of the federal equitable-sharing report (the federal ASAC report) passed by voice vote with no opposition. The report and the certification must be approved by the governing body to maintain the city’s eligibility to receive federal equitable-sharing funds.
Public records and next steps Staff told the committee that the city did not begin the year with a large carryover balance and that the police department has programmed expenditures already. The city remains eligible to receive equitable-sharing funds but noted the federal program’s legal restrictions and periodic federal audits. The committee’s recommendation sends the report and certification to the city council for final approval.
