Civil Forfeiture to be Limited on Orders of AG Holder

By nadinabbott on January 16, 2015



Jan. 15, 2105 (WASHINTON) The Washington Post reports that Attorney General Eric Holder “barred local and state police from using federal law to seize cash, cars and other property without proving that a crime occurred.” This is known as equitable sharing and has led to the confiscation of billions of dollars by local agencies since it’s inception. The split was 80-20 percent.

Critics of the program pointed out that many local jurisdictions used the program to supplement budgets, and at times get around budgetary limits placed on them by city councils and board of supervisors. This is also a product of the war on drugs, and started in 1984 with the Comprehensive Crime Control Act.

Agencies were able to participate in the process by being part of a joint investigation. The other way was by the Feds adopting a local seizure, that met Federal standards.

This change, according to the WAPO, is the most comprehensive check on police power since these seizures started over three decades ago. According to the reporting, “With this new policy, effective immediately, the Justice Department is taking an important step to prohibit federal agency adoptions of state and local seizures, except for public safety reasons.”

http://reportingsandiego.com/2015/01/16/civil-forfeiture-to-be-limited-on-orders-of-ag-holder/

This is great news!