Civil Forfeiture
‘IF IN DOUBT…TAKE IT!’ Behind Closed Doors, Government Officials Make Shocking Comments About Civil Forfeiture
Without even needing to charge someone with a crime, law enforcement can seize and keep cash, cars and even homes, by exercising civil forfeiture. Now the Institute for Justice has uncovered recordings of government officials from across the country making unsettling comments about this controversial power: • One city attorney called his legal documents a “masterpiece of deception” and has won 96 percent of his forfeiture cases.
Police State USA: Civil Forfeiture Under Presumption of Guilt
In a report called Stop and Seize, the Washington Post details how aggressive police take hundreds of millions of dollars from motorists not charged with crimes. The Washington Post noted there have been 61,998 cash seizures made on highways and elsewhere since 9/11 without search warrants or indictments. Law enforcement agencies confiscated more than $2.