Four States Advance Against The Evils Of Civil Asset Forfeiture, But The Feds Do Nothing

Forbes ^ | June 26, 2017 | George Leef

[reaganaut1]

Like a bad skin disease that spreads rapidly once it takes hold, civil asset forfeiture grew rapidly for several decades, in the 80s and 90s especially. Once law enforcement agencies figured out how to turn it into an easy means of padding their budgets without much public scrutiny, they ran with it.

Forfeiture laws originally meant to allow the confiscation of the great wealth amassed by drug overlords, were increasingly applied to seize small amounts of property owned by people who were merely suspected of having some connection with illegal activity. Many thousands of innocent Americans have had cash, cars, and even real estate taken from them because police officers declared that their property might have been connected in some way with drugs or other illegal activity.

Once the property has been taken, the owners bear the burden of proving that they were innocent. Fighting for return of the property is so difficult and costly that many individuals never get their property back and suffer what amounts to legal theft.

The good news is that a strong counter-attack has been building against civil asset forfeiture for more than a decade. Several states have already reformed their laws so as to protect the innocent and others are moving in the right direction. Four are noteworthy for recent actions: Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.

[catbertz]

I can’t think of a LE practice that disturbes me more than civil asset forfeiture, and the way it’s been abused. Hope to see it massively reformed.

[MeganC]

Asset forfeiture was a good idea that has been perverted by the big government types and the “police are never wrong” types into legalized armed robbery.

Example:

https://www.aclu.org/blog/settlement-means-no-more-highway-robbery-tenaha-texas

[Kalamata]

Asset Forfeiture reminds me of Bills of Attainder, expressly prohibited in Article 1, Section 9 of our beloved Constitution.

[fruser1]

This is the kind of tyranny worth breaking out the guns for. I’m surprised no one has fought back physically yet with some retaliation.

[RedStateRocker]

It was never a good idea in the slightest.

The first person to even suggest it, in even the most egregious case with the best of intent should have been beaten to within an inch of their life, set afire and their remains scattered FAR from American soil.

Anyone participating in or defending this practice should be stripped of their citizenship and dropped into their choice of North Korea or Iran. From 20K feet. Sans parachute.

[MeganC]

I like you.

(-:

[NobleFree]

The first person to even suggest it [civil asset forfeiture], in even the most egregious case with the best of intent should have been beaten to within an inch of their life, set afire and their remains scattered FAR from American soil.

Anyone participating in or defending this practice should be stripped of their citizenship and dropped into their choice of North Korea or Iran. From 20K feet. Sans parachute.

<thunderous applause>

[NobleFree]

Congress should nevertheless move along the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act to subject civil asset forfeiture to the same due process standards as apply in criminal cases and end its “equitable sharing” program whereby state agencies get to keep most of the haul as long as they get federal authorities to cooperate on a forfeiture case.

The House and Senate bills are languishing in committee

Take a week off from the RINOcare BS and get this passed!

[Axenolith]

I know if some clown took my 16 month old and several years of the sweat of my brow there would be a news event.