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Of Loot and Leverage

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Without a special kicker, why should police bother to do their jobs?  

The subject is civil asset forfeiture. This legal procedure makes it easy to take property from criminals. For the War on Drugs, civil forfeiture was so loosened as to allow police to take property from anyone . . . without due process.

No wonder citizens in a number of states have demanded limits upon the practice. 

But since police departments get to keep the loot they “interdict” — spending it on better cars, weapons, office furniture, plush employee lounges, drug-sniffing dogs — law enforcement personnel aren’t exactly always on board with citizens’ concerns.

Jarrod Bruder, South Carolina Sheriff’s Association executive director, defends the sorry practice, as quoted by Greenville News. He asks what, sans civil forfeiture’s profit motive, could be a cop’s “incentive to go out and make a special effort?” 

Dollars to donuts, this will not play well with those who distrust the police already. 

And note the biggest incentive police face: to take property away from innocent people. Easier pickin’s. No surprise, then, that in “19 percent of cases, there is no criminal arrest.”*

Meanwhile, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) has suggested that President Trump take the confiscated billions from the accounts of drug kingpin El Chapo to “build the Wall.”

Genius? 

Regardless, this mere suggestion could add incentives for pro-Wall Republicans to go soft on civil asset forfeiture.

There is no point in being secure within our borders if we are not secure within our homes and wallets and cars and . . . any other place jeopardized by this police-state practice.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.


*Blacks represent 71 percent of cases, while only 28 percent of the state population.

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civil asset forfeiture, police, corruption, theft

Photo Credit: Chase Carter on Flickr

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4 replies on “Of Loot and Leverage”

A sad commentary, but then averice is but one of the seven deadly sins. It can be deadly to individuals, and societies as well. 

Big difference confiscating assets of a convicted person verses non conviction. Assets need to be also tied to the crime that the conviction was for. Otherwise I agree that assets should not be seized.

Civil Asset Forfeiture is theft under color of law.

If we tried something like that we would be charged and convicted and spend quite a while in jail. This should apply to the thieves as well.

As far as I’m concerned, cops who take part in civil asset forfeiture without specific evidence of a crime are nothing more than armed criminals, who deserve to be shot on the spot.

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