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Monday, September 8th, 2014

Stop and Seize

Author:     MICHAEL SALLAH, ROBERT O’HARROW JR., STEVEN RICH
Source:     The Washington Post
Publication Date:     September 6, 2014
 Link: Stop and Seize
Stephan:   This is a particularly good article on the seizure forfeiture issue, as well as a presentation in its defense. I think the preponderance of evidence makes it clear, this is a dreadful program, and part of the police state trend. Click through to see the graphs, maps, and videos.
The Washington Post

The Washington Post

After the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the government called on police to become the eyes and ears of homeland security on America’s highways.

Local officers, county deputies and state troopers were encouraged to act more aggressively in searching for suspicious people, drugs and other contraband. The departments of Homeland Security and Justice spent millions on police training.

The effort succeeded, but it had an impact that has been largely hidden from public view: the spread of an aggressive brand of policing that has spurred the seizure of hundreds of millions of dollars in cash from motorists and others not charged with crimes, a Washington Post investigation found. Thousands of people have been forced to fight legal battles that can last more than a year to get their money back.

Stop and Seize: In recent years, thousands of people have had cash confiscated by police without being charged with crimes. The Post looks at the police culture behind the seizures and the people who were forced to fight the government to get their […]

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