Mar 1, 2023 2 min read

The Peters Township Police Department is receiving $3.7 million in forfeited funds as a result of a detective’s work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration task force.

Council recognized Peters Township Detective Ed Walker at its meeting Monday night. Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh was on hand to discuss how the funds are a boon for local law enforcement.

“I can’t think of a better thing for this money to go than toward law enforcement, because in this day and age where resources are tight, money is right, equipment is tight, we really do need to fund the police,” Walsh said.

Police Chief Doug Grimes explained that the money came as a result of a case that Walker worked on with the FDA task force. He clarified it was not a local investigation.

“His work in this case, they seized 18,000 pounds of substances that are regulated by the FDA. They’re not scheduled drugs, but it took 18,000 pounds of these substances off the streets,” Grimes said. “Detective Walker wrote the vast majority of the search warrants to facilitate that seizure of the lab that produced this, and a substantial amount of the financial assets of the individual who was committing these crimes.”

With the injection of funds, council held a public hearing Monday on an amendment to Peters’ 2023 budget outlining how the money will be spent.

The amendment would put about more than $900,000 toward equipment, and another $130,000 toward vehicle maintenance. The department will also use $45,000 for training, and about $50,000 for administration costs.

“(Walker) put a lot of time and a lot of effort into that. As a result, he was recognized by giving that money to Peters Township,” Grimes said.