Civil forfeiture gone wild, police take more than burglars

Interesting link as an example of the epidemic of police abusing their authority via civil forfeiture or legal theft.

According to the FBI, total assets seized via civil forfeiture from 1989-2010 was 12.6 billion. In 2014 alone that number was 4.5 billion. By comparison, in 2014 total property losses reported by burglary were reported at 3.9 billion. Police are now taking more via civil forfeiture with no criminal charges than burglars by a significant amount.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-17/police-civil-asset-forfeitures-exceed-value-all-burglaries-2014

Quote: mcallister3200

Interesting link as an example of the epidemic of police abusing their authority via civil forfeiture or legal theft.

According to the FBI, total assets seized via civil forfeiture from 1989-2010 was 12.6 billion. In 2014 alone that number was 4.5 billion. By comparison, in 2014 total property losses reported by burglary were reported at 3.9 billion. Police are now taking more via civil forfeiture with no criminal charges than burglars by a significant amount.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-17/police-civil-asset-forfeitures-exceed-value-all-burglaries-2014

Good to see more viewers visiting the hedge.

That is an amazing stat, doesn't look correct at first glance though does it? I also saw where you are much more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist.

Quote: petroglyph

Good to see more viewers visiting the hedge.

That is an amazing stat, doesn't look correct at first glance though does it? I also saw where you are much more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist.

All the police ONLY do good work related to these drug laws. At least we can rest assured that they are "good guys" that work for the police.

http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/06/14/video-shows-cops-eating-pot-laced-treats-during-raid-attorney-says/

Quote: petroglyph

Good to see more viewers visiting the hedge.

That is an amazing stat, doesn't look correct at first glance though does it? I also saw where you are much more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist.

It has been brought to my attention that 1.7 billion seized from Madoff and 1.2 from Toyota are included in those numbers and certainly push them over the top of burglary perhaps making it an unfair comparison, however the rapid rise in amount of civil forfeiture points to a pretty serious problem where ordinary citizens can and are too often unfairly relieved of assets without due process.

Quote: mcallister3200

It has been brought to my attention that 1.7 billion seized from Madoff and 1.2 from Toyota are included in those numbers and certainly push them over the top of burglary perhaps making it an unfair comparison, however the rapid rise in amount of civil forfeiture points to a pretty serious problem where ordinary citizens can and are too often unfairly relieved of assets without due process.

This is one issue I am unsettled about. It's absolutely insane and something needs to be done. Everyone needs to keep talking about it.

If they can proof drugs or something criminal fine. But I have heard some disturbing stories where absolutely nothing remotely close to criminal behavior was going on. Some kids father gave him some money to relocate and find a job. WTF... that's horrible, that's the kind of stuff that could really mess up someones life.

perhaps a win with a class action lawsuit.

In a recent cross-country trip I experienced what I believe was an obvious civil forfeiture fishing expedition. I don't feel like going into all the details, but it began with a sheriff's deputy of whatever that sparsely populated little county was at my window politely telling me: "The reason I pulled you over is you were doing 79 on this highway posted for a limit of 75, but I'm not going to write you a ticket for it..." Huh? WTF? I resisted the temptation to say something like: "Are you sure? Because I'm usually not that slow, and definitely haven't been for most of this trip, and neither are any of the eighteen-wheel trucks zooming along on this desolate piece of road with me, so I must've gone by you at an unusually pokey moment; lucky I didn't get run over by one of them if I was really that slow." But instead I edited that thought slightly into: "Yessir."

Then the middle of the peculiar 'traffic stop' involved some rather unusual (to me) questions such as: "Have you come this way before? How often? Are you carrying any large amounts of cash?" Okay, now I think I'm getting what this is about, and it isn't four friggen MPH. It is about my plates being from several states away.

It ended with nothing forfeited and no lasting consequences for me (I'm prolly the most fastidiously legal S.O.B who was on that road) other than having to repack three weeks worth of bags by the side of the highway next to a cow pasture and put them back in my car. But I have now completely evolved my opinion from 'this sounds a little paranoid' into 'this is really officially without a doubt totally out of control, and it really needs to start costing the Sheriff of Nottingham something to keep doing it' if they don't feel like that pesky little business of the Fourth Amendment in the Bill of Rights applies to them, or to windy desolate places near cow pastures.

Quote: DrawingDead

other than having to repack three weeks worth of bags by the side of the highway next to a cow pasture and put them back in my car

Why did you have to re-pack anything? Was there just cause to search your vehicle? Was a warrant present?

Quote: DrawingDead

But instead I edited that thought slightly into: "Yessir."

Yeah, unless you're feeling like being jacked up, a brilliant answer.

There's probably a profile for well-off and/or might be carrying money -- aside from the usual drug dealers.

What a sham and scary too. Bad enough being robbed by crooks and have to worry about cops as well.

Quote: Dodsferd

Quote: DrawingDead

other than having to repack three weeks worth of bags by the side of the highway next to a cow pasture and put them back in my car

Why did you have to re-pack anything? Was there just cause to search your vehicle? Was a warrant present?

This is exactly where I didn't want to go with this, though I do understand why you ask. The asnwers are: In my opinion, no none whatsoever. And no, of course not. And would it have gotten searched anyway, without my consent when asked? You're damn right it would, with or without an assist from a barking deputy Fido two hours later. Not hard to gin up probable cause, and when asked for consent to search I chose to go that route. You may choose differently. Or not, depending. Fine. I'm going to say this in advance, using the general plural "you" for what follows: You (as in the plural y'all/whomever) aren't me, and I'm not interested in hearing someone's instruction on my choice, and will have MUCH less than zero respect for the kind of individual who may now still insist on doing so anyway. I have a boatload of excellent lawyers, including a former prosecutor and public defender, up the ying-yang in my family, believe I'm considerably better informed on the matter than > 98% of the motoring public, and knew exactly what I was doing when I consented to the search, and why I was choosing to do so as a purely practical matter. If someone else in that circumstance chooses differently FOR THEMSELVES more power to 'em, I fully respect that choice, and look forward to hearing how it worked out for 'ya. I made the correct choice in that for me.

Quote: DrawingDead

This is exactly where...[snip]...

Uhhh okay then. I wasn't trying to open some wounds or anything, I was simply asking. Do whatever you want, no further questions from me.