Asset Forfeiture Abuse
Police abuse of civil asset forfeiture laws has shaken our nation’s conscience. Civil forfeiture allows police to seize — and then keep or sell — any property they allege is involved in a crime. Owners need not ever be arrested or convicted of a crime for their cash, cars, or even real estate to be taken away permanently by the government.
Forfeiture was originally presented as a way to cripple large-scale criminal enterprises by diverting their resources. But today, aided by deeply flawed federal and state laws, many police departments use forfeiture to benefit their bottom lines, making seizures motivated by profit rather than crime-fighting. For people whose property has been seized through civil asset forfeiture, legally regaining such property is notoriously difficult and expensive, with costs sometimes exceeding the value of the property. With the total value of property seized increasing every year, calls for reform are growing louder, and CLRP is at the forefront of organizations seeking to rein in the practice.
Search Asset Forfeiture Abuse
The Latest
‘Policing For Profit’ Is Alive and Well in South Carolina
Blog Post - Speak FreelyFebruary 12, 2019The Justice Department Wants to Strip the Mongols Biker Club of Its Logo
Blog Post - Speak FreelyFebruary 8, 2019U.S. v. Mongol Nation - ACLU Amicus Brief
Legal DocumentFebruary 8, 2019
Can the Trump Administration Use Asset Forfeiture Funds to Build the Border Wall?
Blog Post - Speak FreelyJanuary 15, 2019The Use of Civil Asset Forfeiture in New Jersey Is Broken
Blog Post - Speak FreelyDecember 12, 2018ACLU-NJ Report Reveals Abuse and Overuse of Civil Asset Forfeiture in New Jersey
News/Press ReleaseDecember 11, 2018
Settlement Means No More Highway Robbery in Tenaha, Texas
Blog Post - Speak FreelyAugust 9, 2012Federal Judge Declares ‘Policing for Profit’ Unconstitutional
Blog Post - Speak FreelyAugust 6, 2018Police in Tennessee Legally Steal a Veteran’s Car Because of His Son’s Alleged Misdeeds
Blog Post - Speak FreelyJune 11, 2018
Cox v. Voyles, et. al.
CaseAugust 21, 2017The Reports of Civil Asset Forfeiture’s Death in Philadelphia Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Blog Post - Speak FreelySeptember 26, 2018The House Tells Sessions’ Justice Department It Will Not Stand for Civil Asset Forfeiture
Blog Post - The CampaignSeptember 13, 2017