The Justice Department just shut down a huge asset forfeiture program
Hitting them in the wallet. "Some law enforcement groups are less than happy with the change. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) said in a statement that "this decision is detrimental to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve." In a letter sent to President Obama, the leaders of Congress, and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the heads of six law enforcement groups -- including the IACP and the National District Attorney's Association -- wrote to express "profound concern" over the changes: "This shortsighted decision by Congress will have a significant and immediate impact on the ability of law enforcement agencies throughout the nation to protect their communities and provide their citizens with the services they expect and deserve.""
4 comments:
I must say, it has always been contentious that they could keep seized property even if the owner was found to be totally innocent. Taking a person's house because his son has perpetrated a crime Dad knows nothing about is tantamount to grand theft. I never got how they could do that. Do you understand from this that law enforcement will now be obliged to return the "stolen" property if the owner is not charged? They talk about payments from Federal enforcement agencies. I'm not clear about how that worked. And making it temporary is so typical of how this administration works. Yeah, we didn't mean that after all. This move would certainly be a step toward reversing an appalling wrong. Except when it isn't, anymore.
This is cutting funding to the DoJ program which many police departments were using after their states had cut back their ability to seize and keep goods.
If they didn't use the DoJ to launder the seized goods, they can keep doing it.
Didn't go far enough, then. I remember deploring this action back in the 80s, when the emphasis was on drug interdiction. Once Homeland Security got going, the gloves were off. It's a part of law enforcement that I can in no way defend.
One step at a time.
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