[Cold Heat]

However, if there is some unreasonable delay and expense in getting that stuff back if the arrestee is let go or gets bail, that should be corrected

I guess you have not been around for long.....(no offense meant):-)

This practice has been severely abused by local and State LEO's. It was not long ago, as the result of a traffic stop, that I spent 4,000 dollars and two years of my time getting a pistol that was worth only 500 dollars back.

Obviously it was principle that I was invoking...

They wanted to keep the gun because it was a former police issue sidearm.

[PapaNew]

Again, without probable cause of a crime, that seizure is flatly unconstitutional I don’t care how long they’ve been doing it.

The reason these things continue to happen is the people for whatever reason don’t stand up for their constitutional rights. It is the nature of government to trespass on individual constitutional rights. It is up to the people to see they don’t.