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GeorgiaDon 379
I'd argue that giving law enforcement the power to seize property and money based on only a suspicion of drug involvement, without any need to even file charges, much less prove a drug connection in court, is an affront to American values. If you add in the fact that police are allowed to keep much of the money and use it for equipment, cars, travel to "training" seminars, bonuses, DA pay, etc you have a strong motive to abuse the system.QuoteQuote-
As part and parcel of the whole "war on drugs" nonsense, I think the use of the "war" to justify a pattern of confiscating money and property, without the need to even file charges must less obtain a conviction, provides plenty of motive for such police abuses. Quote
Ah- Do you think the cops are taking home that seized property? Whether the seizures are justified, is decided by pay grades a little higher than the cops on the street.
Here is a very good article that describes the epidemic of abuse of drug forfeiture laws across the country. In some jurisdictions, such as Tenaha, Texas, authorities set up what amount to shake down operations, using laughable pretexts (such as "driving too close to the white line") to stop vehicles passing through on a major highway and seizing money, valuables including jewelry off women's fingers, cell phones from kids, but never filing charges for anything. Money was seized from hundreds of innocent people, including a family on their way to pick up a used car they had bought, and a restaurant owner on his way to an auction to buy equipment for a new restaurant he was trying to set up. It is very clear that drug forfeiture has turned into a big business that funnels large amounts of money, some from actual drug dealers but a lot from innocent people, into the law enforcement/"war on drugs" machine.
Here in Georgia, a county DA has been found using forfeiture money to buy a SUV for the personal use of his office manager, to pay her $90,000 (in addition to her actual salary) to transcribe a few court documents (a rate vastly over what actual court stenographers charge), and to take her along on dubious business trips to Hawaii. The case was exposed by a local reporter, because there is no official oversight on how forfeiture money is spent.
The system is inherently corrupting, and stinks to high heaven.
Don
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Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)
As part and parcel of the whole "war on drugs" nonsense, I think the use of the "war" to justify a pattern of confiscating money and property, without the need to even file charges must less obtain a conviction, provides plenty of motive for such police abuses. Quote
Ah- Do you think the cops are taking home that seized property? Whether the seizures are justified, is decided by pay grades a little higher than the cops on the street.
I probably know several more cops than you- Every one is different. But every last one of them took an oath to place your life before theirs. Some may not think about that promise much when it was made, but the lion's share will honor it in spite of the callous disregard often shown them by often well-meaning people.
Seems odd too that when some goblin knocks them down and steals their wallet or whatever, the first call is not their uncle in Iowa or wherever.
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