Civil asset forfeiture. Cops take more than the criminals.

[davbrucas]

Between 1989 and 2010, U.S. attorneys seized an estimated $12.6 billion in asset forfeiture cases. The growth rate during that time averaged +19.4% annually. In 2010 alone, the value of assets seized grew by +52.8% from 2009 and was six times greater than the total for 1989. Then by 2014, that number had ballooned to roughly $4.5 billion for the year, making this 35% of the entire number of assets collected from 1989 to 2010 in a single year. According to the FBI, the total amount of goods stolen by criminals in 2014 burglary offenses suffered an estimated $3.9 billion in property losses. This means that the police are now taking more assets than the criminals.

Bloomberg News has reported now that Stop-and-Seize authority is turning the Police Into Self-Funding Gangs. They are simply confiscating money all under the abuse of this civil asset forfeiture where they do not have to prove you did anything. Prosecutors are now instructing police on how to confiscate money within the grey area of the law.

A class action lawsuit was filed against Washington DC where police were robbing people for as little as having $100 in their pocket. This is getting really out of hand and it has indeed converted police into legal criminals or “gangs” as Bloomberg News calls them.

http://www.armstrongeconomics.com/archives/39102

[YALE]

That is a painful statistic.

[Chili]

This is one of those things I find a hard time justifying under any circumstances. The only forfeitures I would be ok with would be when the property is proven in court to be used in a crime, or the booty from a proven crime. Anything else is just a shakedown, IMO.

[Baron Von Crowder]

I've seen it first-hand at the local level more times than I care to admit.

oh yeah?

[svauto-erotic855]

The law that passed in the early 80s that made civil forfeiture possible was done for the express purpose of keeping drug king pins worth 100s of millions of dollars from using those dollars to flee from and/or to fight prosecution or at least that is what they told us they were doing. When they actually wrote the law they "accidentally" forgot to put any limits on what could be taken and from whom thus proving that the government will abuse their power and lie to whenever they are given a chance to do so.

In 04 my buddy paid 280k in cash for a place downtown and the FBI took it and charged him with wire fraud because he lied to the HOA when he put down on paper and faxed it that he worked for his parents bus company and for not paying the HOA dues after the FBI arrested him. The FBI kept the funds from that for themselves along with about 400k in cash that he had but had the gall to say that he still owes his victims from his crimes 1.7 million in restitution once he gets out in 2019.

[SSMAN]

They need to cap that shit. Now the law are crooks as well

[svauto-erotic855]

Next thing you know the government may just start making up crimes to arrest people for when no crime has actually happened. No, that is crazy talk and I am sure that no one in government would abuse their power.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/outrageous-government-conduct-can-law-enforcement-use-fake-crimes-to-create-criminals/

[Broncojohnny]

What are you guys worried about, unless you have done something wrong, you have nothing to fear.

[svauto-erotic855]

What are you guys worried about, unless you have done something wrong, you have nothing to fear.

Keep telling yourself that.

[Big A]

Keep telling yourself that.

You missed the sarcasm.

[Mach1]

Keep telling yourself that.

Your sarcasm detector must be broken

[LS1Goat]

It looks like Montana requires a criminal conviction to seize property and North Carolina has all but eliminated civil forfeiture. Unfortunately, the rest have very few restrictions.

[Labora]

I have read a lot about this, I am surprised we have not seen another KillDozer over this sort of BS.

[Mach1]

I am surprised we have not seen another KillDozer over this sort of BS.

Ditto

[564826]

It's ok guys it's for the better good...