By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo
Investigations Editor
Connecticut police use money forfeited by convicted criminals such as drug dealers to buy new police dogs, undercover vehicles, technology, fitness equipment — and to pay for travel to events around the country.
About $1,400 of retiring state police Col. Danny Stebbins’s expenses on trips to conferences in Virginia, California, South Carolina, and Louisiana were paid for with asset forfeiture funds.
These included a trip to New Orleans that became controversial when Stebbins discussed details of the Sandy Hook shootings at a March 2013 conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police while police had yet to share many of those details with officials in Connecticut.
Overall, state police spent about $39,000 on travel.
While using asset forfeiture funds for travel expenses is allowed when it is for a law enforcement-related purpose, some, like attorney Jonathan J. Einhorn of New Haven, say the practice is inappropriate.

Read the full story here.

Look up how much police agencies got in asset forfeiture funds, and how they are using the money here.