Nope. Not like your fantasy land at all. Go sit in on a few. The last thing the cops want is to go before a judge because most are liberal fucks that side with the crook no matter what the circumstances are of the seizure.
No trace of any legit income but there sits the Escalade and M5 in the bad guy's drive. And the house is nothing more than a front for a marijuana grow. What? The cops didn't read Mr Bad Guy his rights in Spanish, Creole, Hindu, Chinese and Russian? Sorry. Escalade and M5 stay with the bad guy. Cops have to pay for tearing up the marijuana grow house, but they don't have to give the plants back to the bad guy. Hey, the judge isn't all bad.
Nice.
Still, no criminal conviction, no siezure. OK?
If it is someone with a lot of money, then it can be fought, but a lot of the time it is the guy with $500 in his pocket, or the guy whose buddy had a baggie of pot in his pocket and has his work truck taken. There are lots of abuses in this system.
BS. Your wrong.
The courts legitimize the actions of Law Enforcement.
Cops and Judges are all on the same side and they work hand in hand in generating revenue for their respected county/city/state/local government.
Unfortunately, the judges often side with badge-wearing crooks.