State’s Attorney Birkett Awards Nearly $12,000 in Drug Forfeiture Grants

WHEATON - DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett announced today that his office has awarded twenty-five grants to fund drug prevention programs in DuPage County.   The grants were awarded to area schools and organizations through the 2008-09 State’s Attorney’s Drug Forfeiture Grant Program.  This year’s grants totaled $11,683 and are derived from assets forfeited from area drug dealers as a result of the diligence of prosecutors in seeking forfeitures of cash and property in those cases.

Students, school administrators and teachers from throughout the County formally received their grant awards at a ceremony held at the Courthouse this morning.

Birkett opened the award ceremony by thanking those in attendance for their efforts in the war on drugs noting that “by your presence here you agree with me that our children are our most precious resource and we must do all we can to ensure that they steer clear of drugs and the pain and devastation they can bring.” 

The Drug Forfeiture Grant Program was initiated by the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office in 1990, and since that time has provided four hundred forty-three grants to schools and organizations, serving thousands of children in DuPage County.   In that period, more than $160,000 in grants has been distributed for drug prevention efforts throughout the county.

This year, the program was able to award the full amount of each of the twenty-five qualifying requests – with a maximum award of $500.

            The grants will be used to provide financial assistance for programs such as Red Ribbon and Character Counts, provide scholarships for low income or high risk students to attend drug prevention programs as well as subsidize other drug prevention curriculum.

"The importance of these programs must never be underestimated,” Birkett noted.  “Education and awareness of these dangerous substances are our first line of defense.”

The law provides for the forfeiture of certain assets used by drug dealers or assets purchased with drug monies.   Proceeds from the sale of these assets get divided amongst all law enforcement agencies that played a role in the case (i.e. police departments, fire departments, FBI, DEA, prosecutors, etc.)  The Narcotics Unit of the State’s Attorney’s Office is run in part with funds generated as a result of these forfeitures.  In addition, a portion of that forfeited money is used to assist in the funding of drug prevention programs through the State’s Attorney’s Drug Forfeiture Grant Program.

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