Civil asset forfeiture is a practice that is widespread in the US and it involves law enforcement confiscating private property from citizens, without needing to have any conviction of wrongdoing. If they simply believe that your car, cash, boat, house, might be related to a crime, then they can come and take it.
Supporters of the practice question, ”Well, how else are the police supposed to get the funds that they need...?”
After all, if it isn't going to come from this controversial practice then the only other solution for them to acquire those funds would be through taxes. And if we want to see an end to civil asset forfeiture, then we should get on board with paying more taxes, they say.
A Revenue-Generating Scheme...
Most of the time we have discovered that the victims of the civil asset forfeiture policy have not been found guilty of any crime in relation to the confiscation of their property. Otherwise, in many circumstances the victims have often been found to be allegedly guilty of some cannabis-offense. Though, if there is no victim, with regard to a “cannabis offense,” how can there be any true crime?
This practice still goes on around the country today, and it has been used to take property such as cars, electronics, guns, cash, real estate, and more.
After the property is confiscated, the pressure is on the victim to try and fight to get it back and to prove their innocence.
But what about the police needing to buy what they need to supposedly keep communities safer?
And what have they done with all of the money?
- One DA from Georgia spent about $2,700 on security doors for his private home, along with another $4,450 on football tickets
- one sheriff from GA got caught having spent $90,000 (Dodge Viper) to purchase a sports car for himself, along with a boat for roughly $79k
- the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security spent more than $100k on catering, retail food, and banquet tickets.
- one police department in Illinois used funds to purchase after-market exhaust pipes, heated hand-grips, and decorate chrome, for their motorcycles.
- In Arizona, one sheriff used the funds to bankroll a puff-piece newsletter that he sent out to voters, highlighting his contributions to the community.
- A DA from Texas got caught distributing over $1 million in funds to 3 favored employees and this included payments that were allegedly for advances, travel expenses, car allowances, and more
- cops in Pittsburgh spent over $9k on Gatorade
- In Wisconsin, one Sheriff's office spent more than $14k on Segways that were intended to help them patrol parks
- Florida police from Bal Harbor allegedly spent about $23k on flying first class to Chicago, LA, and Vegas.
- Bal Harbor police also allegedly spent tens of thousands on beach parties that they referred to as anti-drug beach bashes.
- $500+ spent on booze and a margarita machine
- $260k+ on travel expenses for trips to casinos
- $27k spent on a trip to hawaii
- one police chief actually used about $75k to purchase a tanning salon for his wife.
And The Irony...
In Michigan, it's alleged that at least 5 detectives took part in spending more than $40k in funds on prostitutes, alcohol, and cannabis.
In The Best Interest Of Who?...
Aside from the funds often being spent on things that perhaps aren't in the best interest of any sort of community safety initiative, there is also the issue of transparency.
Because the forfeiture is taking place outside of the normal legislative process, this means it's more difficult to keep track of what funds are coming in, from where, and where they are ending-up.
For some law enforcement agencies, the wealth that they acquire through this practice, makes-up sometimes as much as 76 percent of their budgets; possibly even more. And if at the end of the day, these agencies are ideally supposed to be working for the the interest of the people, then wouldn't that mean that the community has the right to evaluate how the organizations go about utilizing their resources?
It's clear that in many circumstances they've gone a little wild with the extra funding, and in numerous circumstances have been irresponsible with the funds that they've taken from the people--but what else is new.
Pics:
pixabay
via fedsmith.com
pixabay
Sources:
https://www.splcenter.org/news/2018/01/26/weekend-read-civil-asset-forfeiture-%E2%80%94-guilty-until-proven-innocent
http://yellowhammernews.com/opinion/civil-asset-forfeiture-probably-deserve-blame-disgraceful-practice/
https://www.heritage.org/report/law-enforcements-dependence-civil-asset-forfeiture-georgia-and-texas
http://reason.com/blog/2017/09/07/tennessee-spent-100k-in-asset-forfeiture
http://www.starcourier.com/article/20120928/NEWS/120928870
https://www.buzzfeed.com/nicks29/the-14-most-ridiculous-things-police-bought-with-a-4y3w?utm_term=.yy5AOmWoJm#.ivBE742dZ4
http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-police-bought-with-civil-forfeiture-2014-10
https://www.vox.com/2015/7/8/8909133/civil-forfeiture-states-map
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2014/10/11/asset-seizures-fuel-police-spending/?utm_term=.8e83e2984a07
https://www.forbes.com/sites/instituteforjustice/2014/10/22/how-civil-forfeiture-fuels-police-militarization-and-lets-cops-buy-sports-cars-and-hire-clowns/#22cc068dd8a7
Related Posts:
Civil Asset Forfeiture: Theft Without Conviction
https://steemit.com/politics/@doitvoluntarily/civil-asset-forfeiture-theft-without-conviction
DOJ Looks To Ramp Up Asset Forfeiture Across The U.S.
https://steemit.com/news/@doitvoluntarily/doj-looks-to-ramp-up-asset-forfeiture-across-the-u-s
Thank you for the well researched and cited post. I am from Michigan myself and have been a victim of this scam. Fortunately for me, my vehicle and mobile home were not flipable for a profit, so they didn't seize them, but did seize 55 other items when I was arrested for Possession with the Intention to deliver Marijuana. Unfortunately I was sent to prison and am marked with a felony for life.
I wish those pseudo patriots, whom blindly support the American Government actually cared if the Constitution is followed when other's that aren't dear to them are the victim.
Calling America the most free nation in the world is not only a lie, but an oxymoron.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
I’m sorry you fell victim to the tyranny of prohibition. I hope someday all people who had their lives turned upside down for no reason whatsoever have their names completely cleared.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Thank you my friend. Your reply is greatly appreciated.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
This post sparked a few old memories. The day I was raided is almost exactly 20 years ago and just so happened to also have taken place on Super Bowl Sunday in 1997.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Oh wow! That’s a long time to live with that. That would be about half of my entire life.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Then we are about the same age. I am 43.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
"I'm from police and....I simply believe that your wife might be related to a crime :)" ....I guess this is how the game will end
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
People need to ask themselves what the police force is. Why are they officers? What does officer mean? Get a Black's Law Dictionary 1828 edition and start reading what the definitions of things are. I am sure shock will follow.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Yeah, this is just more of the same - take from the poor and those with less to maintain the inequality status quo. It's totally heinous. Thank you for putting this together, I resteemed it cause this is valuable information regarding how our heirarchical power structure seeks to continue that imbalance.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
@mdf-365, Is that a definition or an opinion?
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
They actually prefer to steal from the rich, as we poor people have little of value.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Thats probably true in some aspects but people with money can fight to get out of trouble. Poor folks get locked up or have their futures eroded out from underneath them by the legal system. Honestly, unless you have million$, it seems like everyone is just getting stepped on into lower and lower socioeconomic positions.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Agreed. Money does buy a better outcome.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Great work from you,am gonna read the rest of the post later,nice one
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Weirdly, I'm OK with the Gatorade purchase. That could have been given out during a heat wave in summer, out to marathon runners or something.
I don't know that i agree that civil asset forfeiture needs to be stopped, but it's certainly broken. Limit expenditures to public safety, if someone is found innocent of the crime it was seized in then they automatically get it back, etc.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
If you find yourself falling victim to the procedure, having your own property stolen from you without any mind paid to due process, you might feel a bit differently. 😂 so may the odds be ever in your favor 👍
And rather than stealing from hard-working folks to buy some Gatorade, they could've just had water that day?
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Then they would've purchased 9k worth of water. Bureaucracy isn't known for efficiency. I mean, yeah. The system is broken as fuck, everyone agrees on that. Everyone also has different and often contradictory ideas on how to unfuck it.
Thus, war.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Context matters. While some of the expenses on that list are clearly unnecessary luxuries (and some must surely be illegal), some (like the Gatorade) might actually make sense in context.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
"Crime" is one of those words that aren't actually as strictly defined as you'd expect. Basically, if the government says something is illegal, then it's a crime.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Very interesting. Thank for sharing 😊
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
good post, good luck friend in steemit
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Measures like these are needed in my country Argentinas, the outgoing governors and all their gavines, are accused of illicit enrichment, the country is split in two, people are suffering from needs and laws that approve disafiscar all that money and return it to the state.
These stockings are good, as long as they are worn correctly.
excellent post dear friend @doitvoluntarily, thank you very much for sharing the information
I wish you a great Sunday
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
The ideas of how you might wear stockings incorrectly fills me with misgivings.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
I love your post and post you very good friend thanks for sharing interesting things
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Very disturbing. I can't imagine it happening to me but I do take photos where I maybe shouldn't be sometimes. I wouldn't want my camera taken
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Those people may want to question how much money the police ACTUALLY need and how much of it they just WANT. Do so many cops need to driving around in huge SUVs? Do they need to be so militarized? Do they need to enforce immoral laws?
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
good post..I always follow you
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
More and more people see that USA government is crazy. How do police can get funds? From budget, it's our own security, but please don't violate my rights.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
The Supreme Court has re-written the Constitution many times regarding this issue, thanks to the War on Drug User/Addicts.
The Court has made this practice legal. They actually ruled that property can be guilty of crimes. Like if a car drives a drug dealer, the car is guilty...kind of bullsh#%.
Thanks to this war on #WeThePeople, AKA War on Drug User/Addicts, this practice obviously has incentives built right into it, to encourage cops to steal directly from #WeThePeople.
Some say they steal more than criminals...
hefreethoughtproject.com/american-cops-steal-property-burglars-combined/
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit