
The feds have resumed controversial program that lets cops take stuff and keep it - ZoeZoeBee
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/03/28/the-feds-have-resumed-a-controversial-program-that-lets-cops-take-stuff-and-keep-it/
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ZoeZoeBee
If you've been made aware at how little evidence is necessary for the
authorities to seize your cash and then the near impossibility of getting it
back once its taken even if never convicted you may ask yourself who is the
thief?

Interesting to see over $5 Billion a Year in Assets are now lost to forfeiture
while total assets lost to Burglary have fallen below $4 Billion.

The Washington Post has been one of the few media outlets to give this issue
any attention, here is a link to the past articles they've done the last few
years on Asset Forfeiture.
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/collection/st...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/collection/stop-
and-seize-2/)

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citizensixteen
What surprises me is how little media coverage asset seizure is getting.

Why is asset seizure not covered more by the media and why is everyone so
complacent about it?

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erroneousfunk
A couple thoughts: It does get a fair amount of media coverage. John Oliver
did a segment on it, it has multiple NYTimes articles, big articles in the
Washington Post and the New Yorker, and all the usual places. It's not really
"unknown" unless you don't read the news much.

I feel like it's not talked about much outside of the media, however. We talk
about burglary a lot. We lock things up and hide valuables in cars. But civil
forfeiture just doesn't come up too often in daily life for most people.

Why are people complacent about it? For the same reasons they're complacent
about mandatory minimum sentencing. The victims are disproportionately black
and hispanic. Whether or not they're actually engaging in illegal activity,
they often have ties to drugs/prostitution -- perhaps through a relative,
roommate, friend or colleague. The victims may also be poor (the population
most likely to be unbanked and, ironically, have large amounts of cash
around). They're often profiled to be people unlikely to go out and get a
lawyer or navigate the system to get their property back.

~~~
citizensixteen
Thanks for the perspective, you made some good points. I was surprised to see
there was a move towards forfeiture reform and then it swings back to business
as usual. Even more surprised that, "it's not talked about much outside of the
media."

Perhaps it's just one of those things we think will 'never effect' us and if
it does there is not much you can do if you end up in a forfeiture situation.

