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yesterday

Suffolk County Police Turn Seized Corvette Into Anti-DWI Show Car

Officials frame the high-profile display as a deterrent within a stepped-up DWI campaign tied to fewer fatal crashes.

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An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina stands next to a new Highway Patrol unit, a seized DWI Corvette, Image 2 shows A white Corvette, with "POLICE Suffolk County" and a blue and red stripe on the side, parked inside a garage, Image 3 shows Rear view of a white Corvette seized by Suffolk County Police, with "Suffolk Police" and "Seized" on its back
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Overview

  • Suffolk County police repurposed a 2020 Corvette Stingray with lights and bold 'DWI SEIZURE' decals for use at parades, car shows, and prevention events, not for routine patrols.
  • The car was taken in 2022 after a DWI conviction under the county’s forfeiture law, with some reports describing the case as a repeat offense.
  • Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said the vehicle is meant to make people think twice before driving drunk and argued that preventing even one crash would be worth it.
  • CMJ Enterprises wrapped the car and noted the county did not buy it, a point raised after residents questioned costs, while reports value the low-mileage Corvette between about $55,000 and $75,000.
  • The move draws on a local seizure statute first adopted in 1999 and revised in 2004, and it comes as the department plans extra DWI patrols and random checkpoints heading into summer.