District Attorney’s Office Provides Computers To Cold Spring Police Department
CARMEL, NEW YORK – October 9, 2018: District Attorney Robert Tendy and Village of Cold Spring Officer-in-Charge Larry Burke announced today the purchase and installation of two Panasonic Tough Book Laptop computers. The computers have been installed in two police vehicles and were purchased using District Attorney Asset Forfeiture money.
“These computers brought us from the 18th to 21st century,” Burke said. “They are so fast, and they enable us to access information very quickly. It could be a routine traffic stop, an accident scene, a need to run a quick background check on a license or vehicle or driver. They are great tools.”
Tendy said that the purchases were part of an effort to help law enforcement fill identified needs which couldn’t be filled through ordinary budgeting procedures. “Police Departments, particularly the smaller ones, run on a very tight budget and don’t always have the funding necessary to purchase equipment like these computers. Whenever we can help out a department through asset forfeiture we’ll do it. I know how useful these computers are, and I’m glad we could supply them. They are very high-tech state of the art machines.”
Asset forfeiture money is the result of the proceeds of a crime being seized by law enforcement. “We usually get it from DWI vehicles, sometimes narcotics sale proceeds. If a person has numerous DWIs we will forfeit their car. We won’t allow that person to drive anymore. They are simply too dangerous to the public,” Tendy said. “If a person is selling drugs we will forfeit their vehicle if it is used to facilitate the sale or the transportation of the drugs, and if we can take sale money we will.” Officer Burke let us know what his department needed and we were very happy to help.
