It's always encouraging to hear whenever a new region might be considering an overhaul on their civil asset forfeiture schemes. This is a practice that has enabled law enforcement to violate the Constitutional rights of thousands of innocent people, taking away their money, cars, housing, and much more.

Many of the people who are victimized under this policy are never charged or convicted of any crime.

Yet they have their property taken away from them regardless and they are left with the choice of funding the fight to try and get it back. They are required to prove the innocence of their property even though they might not have been charged or convicted yet of anything.

In a variety of places, there have been some changes to civil asset forfeiture. As awareness for this corrupt scheme has grown, with more pressure and attention covering the various wrongdoings and incidents of victimization getting national attention etc, different lawmakers have sought to implement solutions. These might include more oversight over the funds that are being taken, or perhaps a simple requirement of a conviction before any property can be taken. They're trying to change it from the inside.

Earlier this year, lawmakers in Michigan for example, started toying with the idea of civil asset forfeiture reform, to which the police on cue as usual voiced their discontent to any sort of overhaul to their current way of doing things. Even if that scheme has been shown to arguably be wildly corrupt and contributing to a deterioration of due process and civil liberties for Americans. The police aren't going to be eager to reform a policy that helps them line their pockets at the end of the day.

They Are Making Millions From The Drug War And Victimless Crimes

Despite the discontent to the proposed changes from law enforcement in Michigan, the changes were passed anyways, which included requiring a conviction before someone's property can be forfeited. Great, that means things are drastically going to change from the way they were then, if a conviction is going to be required now before property can be forfeited.

Eventually, the bill was signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Fast forward to several months later, and the Detroit Police Department has allegedly suggested that the new changes are going to have minimal impact on their operations. Does this mean then that things might not change at all?, what about changing it from the inside?

“As far as this impacts department operations, it has little if any impact how we conduct forfeiture operations.” - Captain Michael Parish, Detroit Police Department

The fact that they don't see it as a change that should inspire a new approach to the normal way of doing things as far as forfeiture is concerned, is discouraging to say the least. Especially since Michigan has been known to have some of the worst civil asset forfeiture laws in the country.

Money Vs Liberty

This policy creates a financial incentive for law enforcement to seize assets and in many cases there isn't any conviction required; it's no wonder it has been abused so heavily.

Take for example the case of the DEA agent who allegedly motivated a drug dealer to first purchase a truck so he could later seize it via asset forfeiture. Various law enforcement agents have also been caught engaging in questionable spending with those funds and the money has also no doubt helped to militarize a great deal of police departments, enabling them to buy $300k armored vehicles and more.

The abuse and corruption that has been fueled as a direct result of civil asset forfeiture is truly sickening. Thankfully for some who have had the courage and the means to fight back for their rights, they've been successful in seeing their property returned to them, property which never should have legitimately been taken away from them to begin with.

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