Waco
– County Commissioners will likely close one of the strangest
chapters in local law enforcement history when they certify an audit
of the forfeiture fund account Tuesday.
Though
the 2011-2012 budget called for a set amount to guard the entrances
to the courthouse in order to keep guns, knives and handcuff keys
from being a threat at court proceedings, the actual amount paid to
outside police agencies to perform the task exceeded the budget
within the first three months.
At
the time, the Court scrambled around and transferred some money from
the medical budget to cover the shortfall.
Sheriff
Larry Lynch informed the Court, as prescribed by statute.
When
today's audit clears, the Sheriff's Department will have spent about
$12.5 thousand dollars in funds forfeited by defendants as
contraband. The figure includes no vehicles or boats, or other
property, according to the paperwork. The two other agencies that
could have shared in the forfeiture fund – the DA's office and the
long-defunct Agriplex Drug Task Force – had no participation in the
proceeds.
Where
did the money go?
Waco
and Hewitt Police officers made $30 per hour to guard the doors and
operate the magnetometers in clearing defendants, witnesses,
attorneys and visitors.
Even
though the County spend a little more than $1 million to refurbish
and furnish a new courtroom in the Annex building, the traffic had to
come into the building at the east door of the main courthouse,
ascend to the third floor, and cross a catwalk to the other building,
then descend in an elevator to the ground floor for jury selection
and pre-trial hearing dates held by visiting judges.
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