I urge you to listen to
this National Public Radio project reported by John Burnett, who has taught with us here at Poynter many times.
Burnett explored how rural police departments are becoming financially addicted to the money they seize from "suspects" who may never be charged with a crime but are carrying large amounts of cash. And, as Burnett reports, in seizure cases, it is up to the "suspect" to prove that they came by the money honestly to get the cash back. The cops don't have to prove the money is linked to drug smuggling.
In some cases, the police are watching for drivers heading south toward the Mexican border.
Burnett reports:
Justice Department figures show that in the past four years alone, the amount of assets seized by local law enforcement agencies across the nation enrolled in the federal program -- the vast majority of it cash -- has tripled, from $567 million to $1.6 billion. And that doesn't include tens of millions more the agencies got from state asset forfeiture programs.
In Texas, with its smuggling corridors to Mexico, public safety agencies seized more than $125 million last year.
But here's the problem. Some law enforcement agencies depend on the money they seize to buy police cars and weapons and to keep the departments running. In other words, the departments profit from seizing more money.
How does all of this square with the Fourth Amendment?
You can watch a video of one traffic stop that resulted in a "suspect" losing thousands of dollars he had in his pocket even though he was not charged with a crime. Just having the cash in his pocket was enough for police to take it from him. He is one of the rare "suspects" who is fighting in court to get his money -- all of it -- back.
Take a look at how your local police departments seize assets and money. How profitable is it for them, and what is the proof behind the cases? How difficult is it for the accused to get their money back?
Here is a case of one man who lost his money and got it back, but had to spend thousands of dollars in attorney fees.
Sure, the police are addicted to "dirty money," but they're...
