In days of old it was fairly easy to do these types of interdictions. The cops usually has a CI that would let them know that something was headed either north (drugs) or south (money). The car would be pulled over on a traffic stop, PROBABLE CAUSE; the driver would begin to act suspiciously, especially when a drug dog was on the scene and the dog would “alert” to the drug residue on the cash. This would be the “probable cause” to allow the seizure of the cash pending a court review.
Now, since so much money in circulation has had some contact with drugs, it is highly unlikely you could seize the money just because a dog alerts on it. Also this is usually the purest form of profiling. You’d have a car headed north with Texas plates, or what was being done just before I retired, the car would be a rental. The driver usually was a casual user as well and would do a little weed on the trip. The smell lingers for a long time and of course there is the residue in the vehicle.
The driver would have some BS story that could easily be proved to be not true. Like “I’m going to Toledo to visit some friends: But he doesn’t have an address.
This just gets you the PC to seize the money. You still haven’t had a forfeiture hearing. Then my office would get involved and try to prove/disprove that the person with the large form of funds had the means necessary to have acquired the sum of cash. I still had to go to court and prove to a judge by a PREPONDERENCE OF THE EVIDENCE that the cash was either proceeds or facilitation. The burden of proof is still on the state. While the legal standard is lower, it is a fallacy to think the suspect has to prove the cash is his. I have to prove it isn’t.
While I respect most of the opinions of my fellow freepers, I take offense to the cavalier attitude of some who think law enforcement officers spend their waking hours trying to screw the public. Most of my former brothers and sisters who “protect and serve” do so at an enormous risk to themselves and at a cost to our families as well. If you think this job is a piece of cake. It’s pretty obvious you’ve never been involved in law enforcement other than the time you were stopped for DUI or stopped for speeding (both illegal acts, by the way)Police work is both boring and dangerous. I was lucky to retire with nothing more than two knee surgeries, 1 back surgery, and hypertension.
Next time you feel like making disparaging remarks about the men and women in law enforcement, think about what the alternative would be like.
Do we have bad apples...yes....do they reflect the attitude of all...certainly not.. Have a Merry Christmas a SAFE and Happy New Year and I am now stepping off my soap box :)
You need to ping everyone in this thread to your posts.
>Next time you feel like making disparaging remarks about the men and women in law enforcement, think about what the alternative would be like.<
Do you have an example of the “disparaging remarks”?