Posted on 10/12/2014 8:53:49 AM PDT by Second Amendment First
Police agencies have used hundreds of millions of dollars taken from Americans under federal civil forfeiture law in recent years to buy guns, armored cars and electronic surveillance gear. They have also spent money on luxury vehicles, travel and a clown named Sparkles.
Stop and Seize: In recent years, thousands of people have had cash confiscated by police without being charged with crimes. The Post looks at the police culture behind the seizures and the people who were forced to fight the government to get their money back.
“In tight budget periods, and even in times of budget surpluses, using asset forfeiture dollars to purchase equipment and training to stay current with the ever-changing trends in crime fighting helps serve and protect the citizens,” said Prince George’s County, Md., police spokeswoman Julie Parker.
Brad Cates, a former director of asset forfeiture programs at the Justice Department, said the spending identified by The Post suggests police are using Equitable Sharing as “a free floating slush fund.” Cates, who oversaw the program while at Justice from 1985 to 1989, said it has enabled police to sidestep the traditional budget process, in which elected leaders create law enforcement spending priorities.
“All of this is fundamentally at odds with the U.S. Constitution,” said Cates, who recently co-wrote an article calling for the program’s abolition on The Post’s editorial page. “All of this is at odds with the rights that Americans have.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
were drugs involved you failed to mention , or was it like you said the police stopped a car, got their dog, and told it to bark so the cops can take the money for themselves?
Was their probable cause when the cops or LEO stopped the vehicle?
Look if you think cops are driving about training their dogs to bark on command, and then just take the money back to the station to keep then fine.
I;m sure the courts never get to hear about this and I;m sure there has nothing been put into evidence.
sarc
Anyway I have more pressing issue to do than talk about vast conspiracies from left wing anarchist sites or liberaltarians
LOL, don’t bother because I;m don’t go along with conspiracies and nut case ideas.
Nice job of evasion and building straw men.
Have you had media training for evasiveness?
What agency do you work for?
Or are you just as an informant?
I think manc has been outed as a government functionary.
He forgets to say that FreeRepublic defends the Constitution.
I’m condescending?
Usually, I’m rightly accused for my sarcasm but, I agreed with your original premise, in spirit.
Asset forfeiture, in most cases, is a matter of civil forfeiture and usually divorced from the original cause of criminalaity.
If the case you are referencing was adjudicated, under criminal law, then I have zero problem with that.
If, however, as has been the case 1 too many times, the assets are seized under civil law then I say it’s wrong.
Civil forfeiture puts the onus on the person whose property was seized to prove the source of money and they acquired it legitimately.
BTW, when did “money or cash” cease being private property?
I look forward to discussing and will refrain from condescension.
Sarcasm or Irony are hallmarks of Freepers.
Condescension is generally not, as once employed, turn the conversation to pointedly and pointless personal attacks.
Best to argue the imperatives of legitimacy and ideas.
Post on.
Your words ring very hollow. Tell us, what flavor of leather do you most enjoy from jackbooted thugs?
“Actually, I think the law allows for police depts to be the recipient of captured dollars (after a conviction of the crooks).”
I think you aren’t paying attention. There is no need for conviction under current asset forfeiture laws. They deliberately wrote the laws to put the burden of proof on the suspect. You have to prove your money is INNOCENT. Also, examine the effort require to do so. Most of the time, the cost is far too high. LE knows this. They WANT people to just give up.
“This is a good policy .. WHY ..?? Because then we can use those dollars for protective gear for our police; saving tax dollars for city’s, county’s and federal agencies.”
Is it? Because now they are motivated to get money, not criminals. Do you think they want to win a “war on drugs”, when that would kill the cash flow?
This encourages unethical behavior, assuming EVERYTHING is drug money. Because if it is drug money, they can take it. They don’t care if they harm innocent people. And it isn’t always as clear cut as tens of thousands of dollars. People have had this happen while carrying bail money and cash to purchase a car.
As for the LA thing? One event over twenty years ago. If one event is sufficient to justify something, then cop screw ups would justify disbanding SWAT.
“Are all cops good guys ..?? Not possible. They’re just humans and humans make mistakes; they all have a different personality; some are just plain jerks. But, all in all, the majority of police I’ve had to work with were really the good guys.”
Most cops happily ignore the bad among them, and even protect the ‘bad apples’. Any cop who does that is just as guilty as the ‘bad’ ones. And most cops hold to the Blue Line. There are very few good cops willing to stand against that.
“coach the dog to bark LOL yea only if they find explosives or drugs.”
Wrong. Research Trick Pony. The dog bark gives them the probable cause to search. Well, it is easy to train a dog to bark on command.
So, the Fifth Amendment due process clause is a bunch of baloney to you?
Don’t expect a reply. manc has departed from this thread.
Probably easing out of the jackboots for bunny slippers.
You are obviously uneducated with poor reading comprehension as I stated that a dog can be trained to bark on a key word. Go troll elsewhere.
“Real cops” should have no problem with the following reform:
No asset forfiteure without a conviction.
Assets can be impounded for 30 days and during trial. If no charges are filed then the assets are automatically released with no fines / fees or court action required.
If local laws prohibit asset forfiteure then the Feds cannot send money to the local government under federal asset forfiteure programs.
Departments charged with false arrest are subject to a civil fine equal to the value of assets impounded.
Some of you may remember the case of a small business man (restaurant owner, I think) who was told by his insurance agent that if he was robbed, the insurance would only pay $10,000. Consequently, the owner dutifully deposited his receipts whenever they came close to $10,000.
And, guess what, the cops decided that he was money laundering and seized all his assets. I don’t recall finding out whatever happened to him, but it was posted here on FR. Maybe someone here remembers more about the case than I do.
There are so many opportunities.
Heading to an auction of vintage cars with cash for purchase?
You could be screwed.
“Don’t expect a reply. manc has departed from this thread.
Probably easing out of the jackboots for bunny slippers.”
Some people are so blind. He thinks everyone cops interact with is a criminals, automatically guilty. In my book, if you can’t make an arrest, you clearly don’t have enough to take any property or money. Cops can’t just assume something. Or at least shouldn’t. But they get away with a lot of crimes, thanks to people like manc, who don’t ask them to justify anything. He’ll learn one day, when it is him or his who gets burned by over eager LE.
OK so all K9 officers are training dogs to bark on command because they want to take your money out of your car and keep it for themselves.
OK got it, and how many K9 officers do you know who are doing this?
What agency do you work for?
Still waiting for an answer.
Oh please, one incident almost 20 years ago involving suicidal bank robbers wearing body armor and using illegally modified weapons does not constitute a crisis of the police being under gunned.
In fact, if you are referring to the North Hollywood bank robbery shoot out of Feb 1997, NO cops were killed, however both robbers were killed and 11 police officers and seven non-law enforcement citizens were wounded.
In any event the police have more than made up any “arms gap” since the North Hollywood shoot out in 1997.
It makes a good excuse for militarizing law enforcement agencies beyond all reason or need though.
Asset forfeiture laws invite corruption and abuse and contrary to your assertion that a crook has to be convicted of a crime, what really happens is a civil condemnation proceeding in which the owner of the property has to prove a negative; that the subject assets are not the proceeds of illegal activity.
That’s why the court documents read (jurisdiction) vs (asset), not State vs Accused for the crime of “X”.
The process is inherently unfair, tyrannical even; the individual vs. state power , with government lawyers on staff.
How much justice can you afford?
An independent revenue stream allows police forces to escape accountability too, they get to spend the money any way they please, the People be damned.
Cops are supposed to be sheep dogs, not wolves.
Your contention that most cops you’ve worked with were really the good guys is your perception, it may even be true but is still irrelevant.
Asset forfeiture as practiced is an unjust tyranny which corrupts and perverts the rule of law and the administration of justice.
Enough that it got a name. Do you really think LE is governed by honest people? Do the events going on, where cops get away with murder, abusive attitudes, crimes, etc, not get through to you? They aren’t saints. And they don’t have any respect for our rights or dignity. If they can find a way to ignore Constitutional limits, they’ll do it. Even if they have to lie.
You are talking about a profession that invented the throw down gun. Who invented the Blue Line, where it is a sin to turn in a brother officer for his crimes.
They lie constantly, even on the stand. And other cops don’t care. They also don’t care about their mistakes. Cops have the same self protective mentality of a street gang.
If you’re crazy enough to trust a cop’s honor, you’d trust Obama and Holder. LE has no honor. You will get burned by that trust.
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