Michigan sheriff's department unveils 1981 Chevy Camaro patrol bought with cash obtained from very unusual source

A Michigan sheriff's section has unveiled a 1981 Chevrolet Camaro arsenic their newest patrol car, aft utilizing money from a cartel bust to money nan vehicle.

Saginaw County Sheriff William Federspiel revealed this week that his section had funded nan musculus car from a supplier forfeiture fund.

The money is made of rate taken from supplier dealers, pinch his squad having assisted successful a lawsuit that progressive a Mexican cartel pushing cocaine into Saginaw County. 

In total, nan car costs $29,000 and was bought astatine an online auction house, earlier car shop teams dressed up arsenic a classical patrol car. 

Federspiel told WNEM that nan conveyance would beryllium utilized arsenic a real-life reminder to supplier dealers. 

He told nan outlet: 'I’m not acrophobic to fto supplier dealers cognize that I’m coming for them if they want to proceed to do that type of activity present successful Saginaw County. We won’t tolerate it.' 

The conveyance was purchased pinch astir 50,000 miles connected nan clock, and it will beryllium put to usage arsenic a accepted patrol vehicle. 

While nan backseats don't person overmuch room for holding detained people, he said he would position group successful nan rider seat.  

Speaking pinch MLive, he added that he had been wanting to hold to unveil nan conveyance successful November while campaigning to clasp his sheriff's title.

He rushed nan conveyance retired nevertheless to debar nan quality of an election-season type publicity stunt. 

Images of nan Camaro being worked connected had been utilized successful run worldly by his opponents, claiming nan money utilized was taxpayers. 

He added: 'There is not 1 dime of payer money that went into this vehicle, aliases thing pinch it. It’s each supplier forfeiture funds.'

The Camaro represents nan latest successful a statement of vehicles that nan section person purchased utilizing nan supplier fund. 

In 2010, they brought a Ford Mustang GT into their fleet that they confiscated from a section supplier dealer. The doorway of nan car said: 'Taken from a section supplier dealer'. 

Then a 2003 Cadillac CTS received a akin curen aft it excessively was confiscated, pinch a decal reading: 'Taken from a cocaine dealer'. 

The astir caller utilizing nan supplier money was a 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 custom, which has since been sold on.