Edinburg Police Chief Jaime Ayala speaks about the allocation of forfeiture funds it received from the U.S. Border Patrol during an interview with The Rider last Wednesday at the Edinburg Police Department. Aura Velasquez/THE RIDER
The Edinburg Police Department is considering how to use $503,024.49 in forfeiture funds it received from the U.S. Border Patrol.
During an April 16 City Council meeting, the U.S. Border Patrol awarded funds to the department, as previously reported by The Rider.
“We need to be equitable in how we utilize any funds that come into the hands of law enforcement,” said Edinburg Police Chief Jaime Ayala in an interview with The Rider. “And so everything gets evaluated, the training needs, equipment needs. All of those things get evaluated and then prioritized.”
The funds stem from a traffic stop conducted by Edinburg police on April 5, 2023, which resulted in the seizure of $711,240 in currency. The stop was initiated after the Border Patrol reported a vehicle suspected of transporting illicit funds.
“The Border Patrol had already attempted to stop this vehicle on several occasions, and contacted other law enforcement to provide support, but due to them being busy they were not able to,” RGV Sector Chief Gloria I. Chavez said during the meeting. “Edinburg PD did respond and … acting promptly on the intelligence, they conducted a traffic stop.”
The Edinburg Police Department received the allocation through the Equitable Sharing Program, a U.S. Justice Department initiative designed to bolster cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
“It gives us an opportunity to work together,” Ayala said. “It gives us an opportunity to acquire assets to help the public safety mission.”
The program allows seizing assets acquired through crimes like drug trafficking, according to Ayala. If the court awards the seized money to the government, it gets distributed to the involved agencies. Part of it goes to processing fees, and the rest can be used to improve public safety.
“This is an unprecedented total,” Chavez said during the meeting. “We usually split the cost 50/50 for two agencies on a seizure, but headquarters Border Patrol approved a 70% investment to the Edinburg Police Department.”
City Councilmember Place 4 David White proposed allocating some of the seized funds toward mental wellness programs for Edinburg police officers.
During the interview, Ayala said the department utilizes existing programs such as the Employee Assistance Program and a peer support network.
“I don’t anticipate that we would need to spend any further funding on that,” he said.
Ayala told The Rider that how the seized funds will be used remains undecided.
“I can’t really tell you how we’re going to use that money now because we have an ongoing forfeiture fund that we work with,” he said. The department allocates resources from that fund based on public safety needs.
In the past, forfeiture funds have been used to enhance equipment and training, according to the police chief.
The U.S Justice Department and U.S Department of the Treasury’s Guide to Equitable Sharing for State, Local and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies states the following permissible uses for the forfeiture funds:
–law enforcement administrative costs
–law enforcement training and education
–law enforcement, public safety and detention facilities
–law enforcement equipment
–joint law enforcement and public safety operation
–contracts for services
–law enforcement travel and per diem
–law enforcement awards and memorials
–drug, gang and other prevention or awareness programs
–law enforcement initiatives that further investigations
–overtime
–salaries
Edinburg resident Michael Umbae told The Rider that he would like to see those funds go into infrastructure or supplies, but not for weapons.
Umbae said he is concerned about not knowing where the suspect got the money from.
“I don’t think it should go to the police, at least not right away,” he said. “It feels like it’s still an ongoing investigation. … I feel like more information should be taken before putting it wherever.”
Umbae said that if the money was stolen, it should be returned to its rightful owners.
“Until I know where it originally came from, it feels kinda weird,” he said.
The Rider emailed RGV Border Patrol Press Officer Roderick Kise on April 24 to request the case number of the arrest on April 5, 2023, but as of press time Friday, he had not responded.
