TITLE 11

Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Criminal Procedure Generally

CHAPTER 41. Fines, Costs, Penalties and Forfeitures

Subchapter II. Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund

§ 4110. Purpose; created.

The General Assembly hereby declares that in order to provide funds to enhance the suppression, investigation and prosecution of criminal activity, promote officer safety, facilitate the training of law-enforcement personnel, further public safety, public education, and community awareness and improve victim services, it is necessary to establish a fund for the use of law-enforcement agencies in the State. This special fund is hereby created and shall be known as the “Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund.”

63 Del. Laws, c. 140, §  179 Del. Laws, c. 107, §  1

§ 4111. Use.

(a) The use of money from the Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund [SLEAF] must be for the purposes declared in § 4110 of this title. The Attorney General shall allocate resources and approve expenditures in respect of permitted uses in accordance with this subchapter, including any disbursement guidelines established under § 4113(a) of this title, and shall consider the recommendations of the SLEAF Committee, as defined below, in connection with any such allocation or approval.

(b), (c) [Repealed.]

63 Del. Laws, c. 140, §  177 Del. Laws, c. 176, §  179 Del. Laws, c. 107, §  1

§ 4112. Source of funds.

(a) Upon the forfeiture of any money in a criminal case in any court of this State, the same shall be paid over to the Prothonotary or clerk of the court, as the case may be, who shall collect the same and transmit it to the State Treasurer to be held as special funds for the purposes referred to in §§ 4110 and 4111 of this title. The Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund shall not include fines, court costs or restitution ordered by the court in any criminal case, nor shall it include bail forfeitures. It shall, however, include any money or the proceeds obtained from the sale or other disposition of any property which is forfeited to the State by determination of the court that the property was:

(1) Used for criminal purposes; or

(2) Obtained as the fruits of a criminal enterprise.

(b) Upon the signing of any forfeiture order pursuant to this section, the clerk of the court or the Prothonotary in which the order was signed shall transmit a copy of said order to the State Treasurer. If the forfeited money is not in the possession of the court clerk or Prothonotary, the money shall be transmitted to the State Treasurer, for deposit into the Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund directly by the law-enforcement agency which is in possession of the money.

63 Del. Laws, c. 140, §  163 Del. Laws, c. 356, §  167 Del. Laws, c. 260, §  1

§ 4113. Disbursement of funds [For application of this section, see 80 Del. Laws, c. 281, § 3].

(a) The disbursement of funds from this account shall be made by the State Treasurer to a law-enforcement agency only upon written application by the agency and upon authorization by the Attorney General, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Controller General on a form designed for such purpose by the Attorney General and the State Treasurer. Guidelines for appropriate uses of the fund shall be established by the Attorney General with the concurrence of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Controller General.

(b) This application and authorization form must include the following information:

(1) The amount of funds requested;

(2) The anticipated purpose for which such funds are requested;

(3) The amount of any and all funds received by said agency from the Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund during the previous 5 fiscal years; and

(4) The name of the agency requesting said funds and the name of the individual in that agency who shall be responsible for keeping accurate records as to the use of said funds.

(c) (1) The Attorney General shall determine whether or not the expressed purposes for expenditures requested are:

a. Included within those purposes allowed under this subchapter;

b. Consistent with the disbursement guidelines; and

c. In the best interests of law enforcement.

(2) In determining whether proposed expenditures meet these criteria, the Attorney General shall periodically meet and confer with and consider the recommendations of a special advisory committee with respect to all such proposed expenditures, which special advisory committee is hereby created and shall be known as the “Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund Committee” or “SLEAF Committee.” Thereafter, the Attorney General, with the concurrence of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Controller General, may authorize the expenditures in whole or in part and only then shall the funds be paid to the appropriate law-enforcement agencies. The recommendations of the Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund Committee shall not be binding on the Attorney General, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget or the Controller General.

(3) The SLEAF Committee shall develop procedures to allow an applicant to submit an application that the applicant believes would be exempted from the definition of public record contained in Chapter 100 of Title 29. Such an application shall not be a public record while the SLEAF Committee reviews the application to determine if the application, or any portion thereof, would be exempted from the definition of public record. If the SLEAF Committee determines the application, or any portion thereof, would not be exempted from the definition of public record, the applicant may withdraw the application within 10 business days of the determination. If the applicant withdraws the application, it shall be exempt from disclosure under Chapter 100 of Title 29 to the extent it would have been exempt prior to being submitted to the SLEAF Committee. If the applicant does not withdraw the application within the allotted 10 business days, the application shall thereafter be subject to Chapter 100 of Title 29.

(d) The methods and procedures established for the application and expenditure of this Fund are not subject to the normal accounting practices set forth in Chapter 65 of Title 29.

(e) All records, applications, approvals, authorizations and reports required by this subchapter shall be subject to Chapter 100 of Title 29. In addition, the SLEAF Committee shall be deemed a public body as defined in Chapter 100 of Title 29. Any records, applications, approvals, authorizations, and reports required by this subchapter may be redacted to the extent permitted by Chapter 100 of Title 29.

(f) For purposes of this subchapter, the SLEAF Committee shall mean an advisory body comprised initially of the following 8 members:

(1) The State Prosecutor, acting on behalf of the Department of Justice, who shall serve as the Chairperson of the SLEAF Committee;

(2) The chief law-enforcement officer or other representative of the Delaware State Police;

(3) The chief law-enforcement officer or other representative of the New Castle County Police Department;

(4) The chief law-enforcement officer or other representative of the Wilmington City Police Department;

(5) The chief law-enforcement officer or other representative of the Dover City Police Department;

(6) An at-large representative of county, municipal and other local law-enforcement agencies located within New Castle County, as designated by the local chiefs’ association;

(7) An at-large representative of county, municipal and other local law-enforcement agencies located within Kent County, as designated by the local chiefs’ association; and

(8) An at-large representative of county, municipal and other local law-enforcement agencies located within Sussex County, as designated by the local chiefs’ association.

The SLEAF Committee shall meet quarterly, at times and locations specified by the Chairperson, to review applications and make recommendations to the Attorney General with respect to applications and the allocation of funds. The SLEAF Committee may adopt such advisory committee bylaws or other rules or procedures governing the SLEAF Committee and the conduct of its affairs as the SLEAF Committee deems appropriate or necessary to carry out its duties under this subchapter.

63 Del. Laws, c. 140, §  170 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  173 Del. Laws, c. 94, §§  19, 2075 Del. Laws, c. 88, §  21(6)79 Del. Laws, c. 107, §  180 Del. Laws, c. 281, § 1

§ 4114. Accounting of funds; permissible types of investigative activities.

(a) Each agency receiving funding from the Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund during any fiscal year shall render on or before June 30 of each year a full and complete accounting for the use of such funds to the Attorney General, who shall attain such accountings for inspection by the State Auditor. Any funding received from the Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund during any fiscal year that remains in the hands of any agency at the end of the fiscal year and that has not been earmarked for or allocated to expenditures that were authorized under this subchapter prior to the end of the fiscal year must be returned by the agency to the Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund unless the agency has requested and received an authorization in writing for an extension of up to 120 days by the Attorney General.

(b) [Repealed.]

63 Del. Laws, c. 140, §  174 Del. Laws, c. 57, §  278 Del. Laws, c. 28, §  179 Del. Laws, c. 107, §  1

§ 4115. Review [For application of this section, see 80 Del. Laws, c. 281, §  3].

Any agency receiving funds from the Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund shall, on or before July 15, submit a detailed and complete accounting of the disbursement for all such funds from the prior fiscal year to the Auditor of Accounts and the Attorney General. The Auditor and Attorney General shall review said accounting and shall maintain them. The Attorney General shall submit on or before October 1 of each year a report to the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the Joint Finance Committee summarizing the expenditures from this Fund during the preceding fiscal year.

63 Del. Laws, c. 140, §  180 Del. Laws, c. 281, § 2

§ 4116. Excess funds.

If at any time the amount of funds segregated in the Special Law Enforcement Assistance Fund exceeds $500,000, the excess shall be deposited in the General Fund.

63 Del. Laws, c. 140, §  174 Del. Laws, c. 111, §  33