Holder limits seized-asset sharing process that split billions with local, state police

Washingtop Post ^ | January 16 at 1:00 PM | Robert O'Harrow Jr., Sari Horwitz and Steven Rich

[tje]

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Friday barred local and state police from using federal law to seize cash, cars and other property without evidence that a crime occurred.

Holder’s action represents the most sweeping check on police power to confiscate personal property since the seizures began three decades ago as part of the war on drugs.

[tje]

Not a fan of Holder by a long shot, but this is the right thing to do. Doesn't effect state asset seizure laws though.

[george76]

Just words.

His potential replacement is the Queen of civil forfeiture.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

What? I agree with Eric Holder?

[KarlInOhio]

On the surface it is a move in the right direction... which makes me wonder what is underneath that surface. Maybe he's just looking for a 75/25 split rather than 50/50.

[cuban leaf]

Stopped clock. Twice a day.

[george76]

Posturing for the Senate hearings to the benefit of his potential replacement.

[MeganC]

I’ll second that. You have to give the man credit where credit is due. He did the right thing with this one!

[wideawake]

Now that the goods have been redistributed to Holder’s people, you can no longer take them away.

[bigbob]

So now how’s a police chief gonna get him an Escalade?

[from occupied ga]

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Friday barred local and state police from using federal law to seize cash, cars and other property without evidence that a crime occurred.

I can't believe I agree with Holder on something. Let's see how long this lasts. We had a bill of rights, and assest seizure has invalidated a good fraction of it.

[MeganC]

Oh, and what the cops called “Highway interdiction” was, in fact, highway robbery.

Which made those cops nothing more than armed robbers.

[GeronL]

asset forfeiture where a person is robbed without being charged has to be ended

[Sasparilla]

What’s the REAL reason for this?

[MeganC]

I agree. If there are no criminal charges then the assets MUST be returned. Elsewise the law enforcement who do this are criminals and just because the law says they can commit armed robbery is not a defense.

[from occupied ga]

What’s the REAL reason for this?

Nothing good, I'm sure

[DaveA37]

“On the surface it is a move in the right direction... which makes me wonder what is underneath that surface.”....

Nailed it! I have serious doubts this will end well for John Q. Public. Nothing this administration has done since the day they stepped into control has given me reason to believe them about anything.

[VeniVidiVici]

This will let a lot of bad guys get away with their crimes. The Locals will be much, much less likely to pair up with the Feds to jointly investigate, instead going on their own so the Feds don’t get involved.

[glorgau]

A good start.

[Regulator]

Which is probably why he did it: Remove objections to Lynch.

That said, it may be the only good thing this administration and Eric Holder ever did.

[BitWielder1]

He wants to protect big drug dealers ("his" people you know) but mom-and-pop stores who deposit too much or too little cash are still in the cross hairs.
As are any middle class family with a druggie son.
I suspect we will see targeting of political opponents very soon.