On February 4, 2020, The Institute for Justice filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Detroit, hoping to end the Motor City’s “seize and ransom” vehicle program. Detroit’s policing for profit scheme is very lucrative, as all money received through civil forfeiture goes directly to the police department responsible for the seizure. “Wayne County has seized more than 2,60 … [Read more...]
Oklahoma Highway Patrol takes Stealing From Citizens (Civil Forfeiture) to a Whole New Level
If it wasn't bad enough that civil forfeiture laws allowed cops to steal your property and your cash without a warrant and force you to "prove" it was not the proceeds of crime along comes the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. "If you can prove can prove that you have a legitimate reason to have that money it will be given back to you. And we've done that in the past," Oklahoma Highway … [Read more...]
Civil Asset Forfeiture and the Lack of Due Process
I've written on civil asset forfeiture a lot lately and in response to my latest article, BC Civil Asset Forfeiture Office Proud to Steal From Mere Citizens, I received a email from Zoey DeGarmo asking if I would post an information graphic on my website. The infographic, created by ArrestRecords.com, goes into great detail of the abuses of civil asset forfeiture laws across … [Read more...]
Minnesota’s Courageous Reform of Civil Asset Foreiture Law
Five years ago scandal over the horrific abuse of Minnesota's civil asset forfeiture law rocked the state. Their Metro Gang Strike Force (disbanded in the wake of the scandal) among others, grossly abused the power given them by the state's civil forfeiture legislation, giving way to these reforms. The Metro Gang Strike Force didn't care who they stole from. Anyone was fair … [Read more...]
Civil Asset Forfeiture Finally Hits The Right Mark
Justice comes in many forms, but the delicious irony of the seizure of a former Sheriff's vehicle using civil asset forfeiture law is almost too good to be true. This past January in New Mexico 21-year-old Sylvia Solano crashed her car into a brick wall. A breathalyser test pegged her blood-alcohol level at 3 times the legal limit and police booked her for Driving While … [Read more...]