By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Call it hitting two birds with one stone. When property is used in the commission of criminal activity, it may be seized by law enforcement officials. After a court process, that property may be sold at an auction. Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir calls it a win for the public and law enforcement.
"If you're hauling dope around in a motor vehicle, I'm going to file a lawsuit and I'm going to try and take your car," he said. "My theory is, we take the wheels away from the dopers, good enough. It slows them down. Bicycles are easier to catch."
Seizures are not limited to vehicles and may also include firearms and cash. Some of those items work their way into the sheriff's auction, and statute dictates how the sheriff's office can use those proceeds.
"The money I get from those seizure vehicles goes into a separate fund outside of the general fund, so that is under the control of the sheriff," Bellendir said. "That money is used for training, equipment, and stuff that is generally non-budgeted items. I'm saving the taxpayers money by seizing these vehicles. I'm keeping it out of my budget. I don't have to budget for that."
The sheriff's office does take a financial loss on some of the seizures, but Bellendir said overall, the process brings in more money than it costs. Some of the more dilapidated vehicles may be used at the shooting range to give deputies real-life experience of hitting targets through glass or doors.
"It's not like the movies where you shoot it three times and it blows up," said Bellendir. "I haven't found that ammunition yet."
The next Barton County Sheriff's Office auction is scheduled for this fall.