How the government can steal your stuff: 6 questions about civil asset forfeiture answered
Editor’s note: Should someone wearing a badge have the power to relieve a suspected drug dealer of his Maserati on the spot without giving him an opportunity to flee or liquidate and launder his assets? Known as civil asset forfeiture, this practice might sound like a wise policy. But lawmakers on both sides of the […]
Policing for Profit: Law Enforcement Agencies Abuse Civil Asset Forfeiture
While crime may not pay, policing can be very profitable when law enforcement agencies are allowed to seize assets not only from criminals but also people merely suspected of breaking the law. No criminal convictions – or even charges – are needed before property or money can be taken through civil forfeiture. That is because […]
Trump Just Resurrected the Ugly Practice Known as Civil Forfeiture for No Reason
Civil asset forfeiture is the latest dangerous from the Trump administration. The new rule announced by the Justice Department won’t just expand the practice. It’s designed specifically to defeat protections passed at the state level. It will almost certainly lead to abuse. As reported by the Washington Post: “The Justice Department announced a new federal […]
America’s Asset-Forfeiture Scam Is Law Enforcement’s Disgrace
If Congress won’t act, the Supreme Court may move to rein in the practice. One day, the federal government just might sue my truck. I’ve got a Toyota Tundra. It’s big, it carries lots of stuff, and it’s extremely useful for moving furniture, hauling trash, and driving off-road. Consequently — and this is something every […]
Civil Asset Forfeiture: Where Due Process Goes to Die
Police can take your money or property and keep it, even if no charges are filed. Clarence Thomas is famously taciturn on the bench. But his few words carry a great deal of weight. TOP STORIES Nikki Haley’s Sin Isn’t Racism The Hard Realities Facing Ron DeSantis Maine Secretary of State Rules Trump Is Disqualified […]
Are law enforcement agencies abusing civil asset forfeiture?
Civil asset forfeiture allows law enforcement agencies to seize private property or assets that are suspected of being used for criminal activity. Kenworthey Bilz is a University of Illinois law professor and an expert in criminal law and in psychology and the law. She spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about […]
Justice Thomas Defends Victims of Policing for Profit
Civil asset forfeiture is arbitrary and unfair, and it gives law enforcement the wrong incentives. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is well known for staying silent during oral arguments, but his written statement in response to Monday’s denial of certiorari in Leonard v. Texas posed a question that was heard loud and clear throughout the […]
Distracted media missed the asset forfeiture issue
Apparently the President of the United States is now in the business of threatening political careers. After being told by a Texas sheriff about a state senator who had introduced a bill to require convictions before seizing assets from criminals, the president interjected, “Can you believe that? Who is the state senator? Do you want […]
Good and bad news on civil asset forfeiture
Good and bad news on civil asset forfeiture Saraland, Ala., police show off bundles of cash seized in an April 2008 traffic stop on Interstate 65. Saraland, Ala., police show off bundles of cash seized in an April 2008 traffic stop on Interstate 65. Author By ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER | Orange County Register January 5, […]
These states let police take and keep your stuff even if you haven’t committed a crime
The policy that allows this is known as “civil forfeiture” — and it’s totally legal in most states. By German [email protected]@vox.com Updated Sep 30, 2016, 9:15am EDT Share this story Share this on Facebook (opens in new window) Share this on Twitter (opens in new window) SHARE All sharing options Most states in America let […]
Senate bill aims to rein in IRS on asset forfeitures
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Police Seize Car, Drive 56,000 Miles, Sell It Without Charging Owners With a Crime
Michigan forfeiture laws allow assets to be turned over without a conviction By Derek Draplin | September 13, 2016Share on FacebookShare on X Photo by Ogrebot via Wikimedia Commons. A year after the Saginaw County Sheriff seized a classic muscle car from a Shiawassee County couple, it sold the car — with another 56,000 miles […]
Civil asset forfeiture creates perverse incentives that can cost you your property.
Civil asset forfeiture creates perverse incentives that can cost you your property. By Steven W. Hawkins ContributorAug. 24, 2016, at 2:45 p.m. U.S. News & World Report More Protect property owners.(TRAVELER1116/GETTY STOCK IMAGES) Did you know that inanimate objects could be found “guilty” in a court of law and ultimately become the property of the […]
Controversial civil forfeiture program back in action
In 2012, Alda Gentile, her son and baby grandson were driving from Florida to New York when police stopped her. Gentile, who’d been working as a limo driver in New York, had wanted to scope out condos in Florida. She’d had taken more than $11,500 in cash with her in case they spotted something. But […]
Michigan Enacts Civil Asset Forfeiture Reforms
Three new laws in Michigan will limit property seizure practices in the state. Civil asset forfeiture is a legal process that allows law enforcement officers to take assets, such as money and automobiles, from individuals who are suspected of having been involved in illegal activity. Traditionally, law enforcement officials do not even have to charge […]
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