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Local charities receive donation of seized money from Fayetteville police

The department can use up to $25,000 a year to donate to certified nonprofits.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Have you ever wondered where the money goes that law enforcement seize from criminals? Well, tonight we tell you how some of that money gets back into our community.

Under the federal equitable sharing laws, the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) can donate up to $25,000 a year to a certified nonprofit that supports the mission of the department.

“It's extremely important to the chief and to the FPD to give back to these certified nonprofits,” said SGT. Tony Murphy.

Fayetteville Police Sergeant Tony Murphy says these donations come from money they’ve sized from people who have profited through criminal activity:

“Officers are out there, and they make an arrest on, say, a drug dealer, or someone who's profiting from criminal activity, and we work with the local prosecutors and some of that money is forfeited, and it goes into a fund that we can utilize for these programs,” he said.

   

They most recently donated $10,000 to the Children’s Safety Center of Washington County. Murphy says they donated to the center in the past too.

“They're such an advocate for children in Northwest Arkansas, and they help us a lot when it comes to cases where children are neglected or abused. And they're a wonderful partner to the Fayetteville Police Department and to all law enforcement in the Northwest Arkansas area,” he said.

The department has also donated in the past to Lighthouse Solutions for their Graffiti Feeds Program. Program Founder Lakisha Bradley says teens helped clean up graffiti and restore a mural that got vandalized. She is very grateful for the department’s past donations and partnership.

“It's been a good healthy relationship, being able to work together and then being able to utilize their funds and an innovative way to help bridge connections back into our community,” said Bradley.

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