Prosecutors in drug cases have enjoyed the ability to prosecute criminal cases in federal court for many years. Federal sentencing regimes, particularly for drug offenses, are often more punitive than their state counterparts and the overlap in state and federal…
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Monthly Archives: July 2011
The Federal Loophole: Part One
Fighting Crime or Fighting Budget Cuts?
Mendocino County in Northern California is raking in forfeiture dollars hand over fist: Illegal drug-related property and money valued at almost $646,000 was seized by Mendocino County law authorities in the first six months of the year. It was more…
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Bizarro Robin Hood
In the legend of Robin Hood, Robin stole the Sheriff of Nottingham’s ill-gotten gains and redistributed them to needy people. Today, sheriffs can employ asset forfeiture to steal from the needy and enrich themselves. However, in most counties, the office…
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Posted in states
A Culture of Corruption at the Kansas City Police Department
A recently unsealed indictment confirmed that an investigation into the Kansas City Kansas Police Department’s elite tactical Selective Crime Occurrence Reduction Enforcement (SCORE) unit resulted in criminal charges against officers Jeffrey M. Bell, 33, Darryl M. Forrest, 31, and Dustin Sillings, 33.…
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North Carolina’s law enforcement given a license to steal
On June 23rd, 2011, Democratic Governor Bev Purdue of North Carolina signed into law House Bill 427 (aka the “Run and You’re Done” Act), allowing North Carolina’s law enforcement to seize the vehicle of anyone accused (not convicted) of speeding…
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Tagged with: automobiles, Bev Purdue, cars, House Bill 427, North Carolina, Paul Ogden, Run and You're Done
Posted in states
Posted in states
Mendocino County law enforcement, meet cash cow
From today’s Sacramento Bee: Mendocino County authorities are reporting a dramatic increase in the amount of property they’re seizing during drug arrests. Officials say during the first six months of the year nearly $646,000 was taken under California’s asset forfeiture…
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Barney Frank’s Asset Forfeiture Fund Reform and Distribution Act is to be applauded. We suggest some improvements:
Yesterday Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced the Asset Forfeiture Fund Reform and Distribution Act. The bipartisan legislation (co-sponsored by US Representatives Walter Jones (R-NC), John Tierney (D-MA), Frank Guinta (R-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Steven Lynch (D-MA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Michael Michaud (D-MA), Mike McIntyre (D-NC), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), James…
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Tagged with: Charles B. Swartwood III, Congress, Jane Lubchenco, Magnuson-Stevens, Massachusetts, NOAA, Parlen L. McKenna, Walter J. Brudzinski
Posted in federal
Posted in federal
Behold, Ouroboros!
Ouroboros is an ancient symbol of a serpent eating its own tail. It is meant to represent cyclicality or something that is self-perpetuating. Asset forfeiture is the Ouroboros of the drug war. Drug prohibition makes drug dealing incredibly lucrative, and…
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Talking to Republicans about Ending the Drug War
Earlier this month, I gave a speech in favor of legalizing all drugs to the Saint Louis County Pachyderms, a local Republican group. Although many of the attendees did not completely agree with me, for the most part, they seemed…
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Posted in Drug War, Uncategorized
You’re Not Helping
Michigan State Representative Kurt Heise introduced a bill this session that would allow law enforcement agencies to use forfeiture dollars for any expenses, as opposed to only those related to the drug war. Unfortunately, the state’s house of representatives passed the bill…
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Posted in states
Michigan’s incentives for seizures
On June 30th, the Michigan House of Representatives passed HB 4349, permitting asset forfeiture funds to be used for any law enforcement purposes not already otherwise budgeted for. Specifically, the legislation would strip the requirement that asset forfeiture funds be used for drug…
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Tagged with: Bill Hart, Detroit, HB 4349, Kwame Kilpatrick, Michigan, Michigan State Police, Romulus
Posted in Drug War, states
Posted in Drug War, states
Marginal Reform No Solution to Systemic Problems
The D.A.’s office in Suffolk County, Massachusetts has concocted a creative way to spend forfeiture dollars: At least $50,000 of seized money will be awarded to local non-profits as a part of a Suffolk County District Attorney’s Asset Forfeiture Reinvestment…
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Posted in states
We Don’t Even Know the Extent of the Problem
This news article from Iowa is pretty typical in its description of how forfeiture works, but this part jumped out at me: The public safety department recorded nearly $2.9 million in seized cash in 2010. That was down by $1.7…
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Tragedy and Farce, Together at Last
Marx famously wrote that history repeats, “the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.” What he could not envision is that we would reach a point where it would no longer be necessary to wait for the farcical…
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If you are involved in marijuana legalization or the marijuana industry, you need to read this
The federal government is after you. They do not care if your state government has passed laws allowing you to conduct business, whatever facet of the cannabis business you might be in. They do not care if your customers are…
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Tagged with: asset forfeiture, California, incentives matter, police state, systemic corruption
Posted in Drug War
Posted in Drug War
Legalized Plunder
Journalist William Norman Grigg describes the recent robbery and murder of an elderly Virginia man: The invaders who murdered Hampton, Virginia resident William Cooper swiped about $900 in cash. They seized his gun collection. They took the Lexus from his driveway. By…
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Letter to the Pima, Arizona GOP
Following the brutal murder of Marine Jose Guerena at the hands of the Pima, Arizona SWAT team this May, Pima GOP chairman Brian Miller spoke out against the militarized policing and SWAT tactics that has become a mundane part of…
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Call to action–Help save Camp Zoe!
Dear Camp Zoe fans, I am writing to tell you how you can help Save Camp Zoe. We need your help in two ways: We need you to raise money to defend Camp Zoe and Jimmy Tebeau, and we need…
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