Dane County’s drug task force seized a sedan as part of a narcotics investigation, while Madison police seized $7,700 in cash in another case.
In neighboring Sun Prairie, officers seized a total of $77,700 cash in two cases that took more than 100 hours of investigation combined.
Each seizure last year was made under a state law allowing Wisconsin law enforcement agencies to keep cash and property related to crimes they are investigating. Agencies may keep or sell the seizures to help recoup investigation or prosecution costs.
In some cases — like the $7,700 Madison police seizure — agencies may keep up to half of the money and must deposit the rest into the state’s Common School Fund, which supports public school libraries.
A Madison police spokesperson said the department itself doesn’t keep any seized funds, rather depositing that money into the city’s general fund. The department reported $3,800 in investigation and prosecution expenses related to the $7,700 seizure.