Quote Originally Posted by bourbon View Post
Taken: Under civil forfeiture, Americans who haven’t been charged with wrongdoing can be stripped of their cash, cars, and even homes - Is that all we’re losing?, by Sarah Stillman. The New Yorker, August 12, 2013.

A long, but important – if not infuriating – article on civil asset forfeiture. Asset forfeiture has gone from being an important law enforcement tool to an important revenue stream for law enforcement.
There are many extreme cases in the article - outright abuse, but in my experience civil forfeiture works - especially with airport interdiction where you get people transporting thousands of dollars for no apparent reason. Not to sound like an a-hole, but it's all about the money & stuff and when you take it away it hurts the bad guys. Criminally indicting assets does gum up the works, but it's the price of doing business. I believe in the Constitiution and our rights and hope that I have not violated someone's rights while enforcing federal drug laws - I would be disappointed in myself.