Asset Forfeiture Gets Fierce Opposition From The Public in Orange County NY 12/29/14
Published on Dec 31, 2014
GOSHEN, NEW YORK-- At a public hearing the people of Orange County NY decidedly denounce a proposed law that would allow authorities to keep cash and other assets involved in misdemeanor drug cases once the defendant has been convicted or pleads guilty. 12/29/14
Asset forfeiture has been described as a form of legalized theft that serves as a major funding source for governments. Through asset forfeiture, law enforcement agencies can appropriate your property; your money, your car, your house, or any other property you own and keep it unless you can prove your innocence and that your property wasn’t used in a crime – either by you or somebody else.
Asset forfeiture violates the law, i.e. the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which was designed to limit government power in this area. When cops seize your property under asset forfeiture laws, they don’t have to prove you guilty. The burden shifts to you. You must go to court and prove your innocence in order to reclaim your property. There are numerous horror stories about innocent people have cash seized simply because they were carrying large amounts of money for perfectly innocent reasons.
Governments rake in an astonishing amount of money through asset forfeiture. In 2012, federal, state and local law enforcement gobbled up more than $4.2 billion in assets. Federal laws, along with most state laws, allow state and local law enforcement agencies to pocket a large chunk of that money.
Asset forfeiture has been described as a form of legalized theft that serves as a major funding source for governments. Through asset forfeiture, law enforcement agencies can appropriate your property; your money, your car, your house, or any other property you own and keep it unless you can prove your innocence and that your property wasn’t used in a crime – either by you or somebody else.
Asset forfeiture violates the law, i.e. the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which was designed to limit government power in this area. When cops seize your property under asset forfeiture laws, they don’t have to prove you guilty. The burden shifts to you. You must go to court and prove your innocence in order to reclaim your property. There are numerous horror stories about innocent people have cash seized simply because they were carrying large amounts of money for perfectly innocent reasons.
Governments rake in an astonishing amount of money through asset forfeiture. In 2012, federal, state and local law enforcement gobbled up more than $4.2 billion in assets. Federal laws, along with most state laws, allow state and local law enforcement agencies to pocket a large chunk of that money.
