A raid and drug seizure event last year resulted in a sum of money being awarded to the City of Independence recently.
The city received a check last Monday for well over $45,000 as a result of that drug seizure event, in which most of the Independence Police officers participated, along with other agencies, including the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force. The raid occurred mid-morning on Feb. 25, 2021, on Cody Road. The city intends to use the money to purchase more police equipment.
“We are not on the main drag for transportation of drugs, and this isn’t production of drugs,” said Independence Police Chief Tony Lucas. “It’s more of a stop on the distribution chain for drugs. It’s more money than drugs.”
Chief Lucas, along with Independence Mayor Christopher Reinersman, gathered some of the equipment that the department purchased with drug money in 2018 and 2019. They displayed an evidence collection van, one of two golf carts, a pickup truck, and one of six bicycles with helmets and equipment.
“When the vehicles came in, I wanted them sent back to have ‘Purchased with Seized Drug Funds’ printed on the back,” said Reinersman. “We want people to know if they bring drug money into our city, we’re going to get it, and buy more equipment for the police department to make them even more effective.”
When presented with money from drug seizures, Lucas said he asks officers to determine where they think the money should be spent. He said two recent events “caught our attention” and highlighted the need for “all-terrain vehicles.”
Independence Police Captain Russ Wood explained that such monies are only awarded to investigating agencies after approval through the court system. A percentage of funds and items seized are disbursed to each of the participating agencies and the money can only be used for non-budgetary items such as equipment or training, Wood said.
Chief Lucas said the recent active shooter threat at the FBI office in Cincinnati, which resulted in a high-speed chase that ended in a rural corn field, showed that normal vehicles could only go so far, whereas all-terrain vehicles could get the officers and their equipment closer, possibly ending the standoff sooner.
“These golf carts are fabulous for transporting officers and the general public when the city has events,” said Lucas. “But they can’t go out in a field or in the woods like an all-terrain vehicle. We will probably be considering adding all-terrain vehicles to our department with this money.”
He stressed that drug seizures like this don’t happen unless the community is aware.
“If people see or hear anything suspicious they should contact us, because honestly, that is how we learned of this drug activity,” Lucas said. “Residents and neighbors noticed there was something wrong and we checked it out.”
Mayor Reinersman is proud that the police are taking a proactive approach to keep the city safe from drug activity, and he said he will approve the police department’s requests for more equipment.
“Obviously it’s a huge win,” said Reinersman. “Makes for a safer community and on the first hand, you’re getting rid of drug dealers in the community, but on the second level you’re equipping your police department far better by doing that. So yeah, it’s all kinds of winning.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story said that the federal Drug Enforcement Agency participated in the raid. It was the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force. LINK nky regrets error.
