Institute for Justice’s Post

Personal belongings are not indictable and shouldn't be pilfered by any Peace Officers to bolster their budget. Yet, such wanton highway robbery was the precedent. At one point, beat cops started carrying debit card chip readers to siphone bank accounts and gift card balances under the auspices of ensuring criminals can't hide funds.Especially considering the low socioeconomic status of victims of the drug war, it is deplorable and disgusting behavior for public service, IMO. Under Obama, Eric Holder's Justice Dept. even matched Civil Forfeiture proceeds dollar-for-dollar to fund new gear for precincts and Sheriffs Offices based on Civil Forfeiture haul figures.In college around 2015, during researching I watched as local town hall meeting minutes documented millions in civil forfeitures in Gulfport, Mississippi, then the money would vanish at the end of fiscal year and the bank account was emptied. The feds totally incentivized robbing citizens to fund MRAP tanks and war materiel, and the trend moved towards a hyper-Militarized Police State where the Oath of Office conflicts the other financial incentives. (Shortly after all this, a "pre-dawn raid" led to a flash grenade in dropped a baby's crib in Georgia.)IMO, a direct consequence of Civil Forfeitures turning police into mercinaries to prosecute the drug war against the poor. I'd love to quantify the p-value of that causal link, if any.

The only evidence we need to not just “rein it in” but to end it is the 4th and 5th Amendments to the US Constitution. Any “compromise to public safety” cannot be allowed to be an issue. The Constitution in its entirety is basically a compromise to public safety. America promises freedom, not safety.