Arresting Your Cash: How Civil Forfeiture Turns Police Into Profiteers

Civil asset forfeiture is a law enforcement tool with a dark side. Meant to ensure that “crime does not pay,” civil forfeiture laws allow police to seize property suspected of being involved in criminal activity. But this tool often has low evidentiary standards, and in many states law enforcement can keep whatever they seize as profits – leading some agencies to treat civil forfeiture as a way to raise revenue, often at the expense of innocent property owners. As stories continue to surface of cops behaving more like robbers – seizing homes, money, and cars on dubious grounds – action is being taken. States have begun to reform their laws to protect their citizens' property rights, and the issue has now reached Congress. What is the outlook on forfeiture reform, and where do we stand today?

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