Russells Point police will resume undercover drug buys, and again will work with and pay confidential informants for their help setting up drug dealers following an appropriation of funds by the village council.
A total of $918.20 was appropriated Monday in a regular council meeting from the General Fund into the police department’s budget for the purpose of investigating alleged local drug dealers and crimes.
Police Chief Joe Freyhof told council that his department has recently undergone evidence disposal protocol, which involves returning anything that can or should be returned to criminals or victims. The value of any evidence that cannot be returned is forfeited to the General Fund.
Ohio law prohibits the value of forfeited evidence to be returned directly to a police department, and instead requires those funds to be distributed into the General Fund.
At the request of Chief Freyhof, council opted to reallocate that money to the police department to conduct drug investigations.
Chief Freyhof said his department has previously worked with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office and joint drug task force to investigate drug deals, but lately “buy money,” for drugs and to pay the informants has been harder to come by as the joint drug task force has focused more on Bellefontaine, Chief Freyhof said.
“It would be nice if we had some money so that we could do some of these drug buys in-house, and then that way we can work with, and cultivate informants,” Chief Freyhof said.
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