Columbia spends more than $420,000 in civil asset forfeiture money in fiscal 2025
Matthew Sanders
EDITOR’S NOTE: The total spent has been updated to reflect funds provided by the Treasury Department.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Columbia Police Department spent more than $420,000 gained from seized property in the last fiscal year, according to a report from the state auditor’s office.
The department spent $280,142.57 in funds from the Justice Department for the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, 2025, the report issued Tuesday states. The department took in more than $143,000 from seized property during the fiscal year. But CPD began the year with about $280,000 in the account.
The department also spent about $140,000 it had on hand from Treasury Department funds.
CPD spokesman Brian McNeill said the department spent close to apiece $210,000 for a machine that analyzes ballistic evidence from crime scenes and on Axon Technology, the company that provides the department’s body cameras and video software.
Annual Missouri civil asset forfeiture reportDownload
The Jefferson City Police Department received nearly $93,000 in seized property, but didn’t spend any in the last fiscal year.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office did not sign up to receive any funds last fiscal year.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol had the third-biggest haul — nearly $1.3 million — behind Kansas City and St. Louis.
Federal asset forfeiture is a federal program under which local and state police agencies can receive money seized in investigations or proceeds from the sale of seized property.
More than 80% of police agencies in the state do not participate in the program.