Tightening The Rules Surrounding Civil Asset Forfeiture

Just last week, the House of Representatives in Michigan successfully passed a new bill that seeks to supposedly tighten the rules surrounding the practice of civil asset forfeiture.

The new rules passed with a vote of 83-26. The changes proposed include prohibiting civil asset forfeitures for drug-related crimes if the property is worth 50k or less; unless there is a conviction or a plea agreement, if no one claims the property, or of the owner agrees to relinquish the property.

Along with that change there is also going to be some new requirements for the reporting on what assets are confiscated via this method by law enforcement.

And in many areas where lawmakers have sought to pass new legislation that seems to push back against this practice, we've heard a variety of law enforcement officials express their concern and discontent.

Are you Surprised? Under this practice, they are able to pull-in millions of dollars for their departments and if they are required to obtain a guilty verdict on a criminal conviction beforehand, then that might mean they will have a lot less money.

In many areas around the U.S. law enforcement agents have been busy confiscating property from Americans, with many of them never being charged with a crime or found guilty of any wrongdoing in relation to that property being taken.

It's prompted a few people to try fighting back and in some cases there have been quite a few success stories of people who were able to get their property back because it turns out it was unjustly taken away to begin with. For most victims of this policy however, they aren't able to afford the fight and they simply take the loss after their property is taken. Other times they are pressured to sign away their right to try and fight to get that property back.

It's clear that the civil asset forfeiture policy has enabled law enforcement agencies around the country to act in an unbecoming manner by exercising this power to confiscate property in many circumstances where they should not have. Americans should be presumed innocent until proven guilty and at the very least, property shouldn't be confiscated beforehand.

A growing number of jurisdictions have sought to pass changes relating to their civil asset forfeiture practices, but federal authorities have expressed their intentions to go around those changes in the past. Admitting their favor in further ramping-up the practice nationwide.

These laws pose a great threat to property rights for those living in the country today and this legislation in many circumstances makes it too lucrative and all too easy for law enforcement to take property away from Americans whether or not they are innocent or guilty of any wrongdoing. This practice should be abolished entirely.

Pics:
Pixabay

Sources:
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/05/house_votes_to_tighten_law_on.html
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2018/05/08/house-approved-bill-cracks-down-police-forfeiture/591620002/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sessions-signals-more-police-property-seizures-coming-from-justice-department/
https://steemit.com/news/@doitvoluntarily/doj-looks-to-ramp-up-asset-forfeiture-across-the-u-s

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