Case of Police Civil Asset Forfeiture Foiled In Phoenix, AZ

[hpman66]

👍👏🏼

Man had $39,500 seized by Arizona police for nearly 3 years. He finally received his money back.

Civil forfeiture has drawn sharp criticism as it has often allowed law enforcement to seize assets without needing to charge the owners with a crime.

www.usatoday.com

 

[dweis]

Glad the chap got his one back. But wouldn’t have been better to take a cashiers check?

 

[Dan in MI]

Civil forfeiture is quite often incentivized government theft with no recourse. I can’t believe it hasn’t been ruled unconstitutional.

 

[coach]

The fact is that police are generally able to steal your money for no reason when they encounter it in your car, at the airport in luggage or anytime they find it even if there was no crime, evidence of a crime or conviction. Suing to get it back usually costs more than the amount owed and you may not win anyway. So un-American I can’t believe it’s generally allowed.

 

[tazbigdog]

I’ve known people to come here with large amounts of cash to buy vehicles. Sellers want cash. Sorry for him. Never say anything to law enforcement without attorney present. Never sign anything without attorney being present.

 

[the_leper_colony]

The fact is that police are generally able to steal your money for no reason when they encounter it in your car, at the airport in luggage or anytime they find it even if there was no crime, evidence of a crime or conviction. Suing to get it back usually costs more than the amount owed and you may not win anyway. So un-American I can’t believe it’s generally allowed.

It's not just cash, either. A business owner I met in the Denver area was on the receiving end of a road rage incident. Because both he and "Mr. Road Rage" ended up calling the cops, and there were no witnesses, the officers confiscated weapons from both parties - "Mr. Road Rage" lost his big @ss screw driver, and the business owner lost his 'top shelf' Wilson Combat 1911. No charges were ever filed.

I guess at that point, you decide if it's worth hiring a lawyer to try & get your property back.