Seizures of cash from Americans fuel police spending nationwide - Polidicks

[QUOTE]The details are contained in thousands of annual reports submitted by local and state agencies to the Justice Department’s Equitable Sharing Program, an initiative that allows local and state police to keep up to 80 percent of the assets they seize. The Washington Post obtained 43,000 of the reports dating from 2008 through a Freedom of Information Act request.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/seizures-of-cash-from-americans-fuel-police-spending-nationwide/ar-BB8N8UX"]Source[/URL]

I thought this was well known.

Why does the article seem like its trying to spin it as the police bashing down some innocent guys door and robbing his house, and then finally fencing the stuff to fuel their MRAP: Freakin' Police State editions and basketball american elimination programs?

[QUOTE=evilweazel;46211675]Why does the article seem like its trying to spin it as the police bashing down some innocent guys door and robbing his house, and then finally fencing the stuff to fuel their MRAP: Freakin' Police State editions and basketball american elimination programs?[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/crime/nypd-officer-caught-camera-allegedly-stealing-1300-mans-pocket-during-stop-and-frisk[/url] [QUOTE]An NYPD officer allegedly stole $1,300 from a man during a stop and frisk, and now, video of the incident has been released. Lamard Joye was celebrating his birthday with his friends and his sister Lateefah Joye, a professional basketball player in Europe, when the officers approached them for a random search. One officer reaches into Joye’s pocket and takes out a wad of cash totaling $1,300. “Give me my money,” says Joye to the officer. “I believe that this officer made an assumption that any money Mr. Joye possessed was obtained illegally and therefore he would not report the theft,” said Joye’s lawyer Robert Marinelli. “This assumption was wrong. Mr. Joye is a hardworking taxpayer. An incident like this would never occur in a more affluent section of the city.” In the clip, the officer can be seen pulling out a bottle of pepper spray and spraying Joye in the face. When Joye’s sister, the professional basketball player, complains about the money being taken, the officer pepper sprays her, too. “I went to get his badge number and name,” Lateefah Joye said to NY Daily News. “I leaned over to see his badge. He pushed me away. I saw a two and a one and that’s when he pepper-sprayed me in my mouth and my whole face.”[/QUOTE]

[IMG]http://img.s-msn.com/tenant/amp/entityid/BB8MHBe.img?h=0&w=1012&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=969&y=717[/IMG] "just patrollin the neighborhood"

[QUOTE=evilweazel;46211675]Why does the article seem like its trying to spin it as the police bashing down some innocent guys door and robbing his house, and then finally fencing the stuff to fuel their MRAP: Freakin' Police State editions and basketball american elimination programs?[/QUOTE] Because that gets outrage and outrage = views.

[QUOTE=Rofl_copter;46211761][t]http://img.s-msn.com/tenant/amp/entityid/BB8MHBe.img?h=0&w=1012&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=969&y=717[/t] "just patrollin the neighborhood"[/QUOTE] Ugh, I hate seeing these on the road. They slow down traffic so much.

[QUOTE=KillerJaguar;46211792]Ugh, I hate seeing these on the road. They slow down traffic so much.[/QUOTE] then you know what must be done [IMG]http://puu.sh/c8YFQ/7f90cff323.jpg[/IMG]

This shit is freaking crazy. Stealing money from Americans to buy more and more toys to use against Americans and steal more and more of their money. There is no better example of a perverse incentive. IMO, nobody's property should be able to be seized for any purpose other than evidence until criminal guilt has been proven in a court of law. Requiring people to "prove" their property was acquired legally to avoid a default presumption of guilt violates the Constitution. Rate me dumb if you support fascism.

What the actual fuck is going on in this thread.

[QUOTE=Rofl_copter;46211761][IMG]http://img.s-msn.com/tenant/amp/entityid/BB8MHBe.img?h=0&w=1012&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=969&y=717[/IMG] "just patrollin the neighborhood"[/QUOTE] no they get those for free, this is for walking around money

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEpZWGgJks[/media]

are all the boxes in response to the articles or the contents of the posts?

The article is trying to be even, Certain city police forces are using the money for good, Putting it back into the community. At the sametime certain forces are using them for their own benefit such as begging the city for more money in their budget, then using the money they seize as fluff to their budget on payroll. Or buying personal items for officers or items that are just silly to have in a police force. There is also the fact some of this money involved is rightfully seized, and there is money that isn't. The fact i could be carry 1-2k cash in my car and if a police officer sees it he has every right to seize it and i have to prove what i'm doing with my cash. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEpZWGgJks[/media]

[QUOTE=Code3Response;46211899]What the actual fuck is going on in this thread.[/QUOTE] a bunch of unfunny jokes, what i am more concerned about how they are allowed to take property away from someone with no evidence to prove that they were "guilty" of whatever it is they supposedly comitted. If they did this and it turned out that your innocent you have to go through a god damn stack of papers just to get your property back, That's fucking awful and should just be handed back to you if you were innocent, not allow police to keep your shit until you file to get it back

Why wouldn't police forces use money from drug criminals/etc to buy new squad cars? that's a way they can rely less on tax money I'm only meaning to talk in the case of justified seizure of cash, though. and in that case, why shouldn't they?

[QUOTE=J!NX;46211933]Why wouldn't police forces use money from drug criminals/etc to buy new squad cars? that's a way they can rely less on tax money I'm only meaning to talk in the case of justified seizure of cash, though. and in that case, why shouldn't they?[/QUOTE] This would make sense, But what has come under question is okay if they are seizing all this money then why are they begging for additional funding from the local municipality. Ex: If the municipality is short 50k to fund the police force that year, And the police force has a spare 100k in correctly used civil forfeitures, Then why are they still grinding their gears about the money and union protesting causing the city to cut back on another department that doesn't have the opportunity or way to use funds like civil forfeiture money. Same thing is well they have 100-200k in funds just sitting there for nothing and they are wasting it on stupid shit like magazine subscriptions or just throwing it into payroll OT when the cities crime rate isn't even that bad at all. There is no saying IF the majority of police departments are using civil forfeiture money the wrong way, But the easiest way is everyone to submit a FOIL for their local municipality's force's civil forfeitures in the recent years and expenditures. Like shown once locals have proven through the FOIL's that police departments have spent the money wrongly the local area will past laws or guidelines saying what the money can be spent on.

[QUOTE=Llamalord;46211913][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEpZWGgJks[/media][/QUOTE] The stats in that are skewed. I cant find the numbers right now, but it was bad.

[QUOTE=J!NX;46211933]Why wouldn't police forces use money from drug criminals/etc to buy new squad cars? that's a way they can rely less on tax money I'm only meaning to talk in the case of justified seizure of cash, though. and in that case, why shouldn't they?[/QUOTE] Number of police rise, crime drops. Crime drops, less drug money in. But number of cops are the same due to the rise. Where do you find the money?

[QUOTE=J!NX;46211933]Why wouldn't police forces use money from drug criminals/etc to buy new squad cars? that's a way they can rely less on tax money [/QUOTE] I would rather pay taxes to fund them, that way I have a voice by way of my elected officials regarding how much they get and how it is spent. It beats the hell out of getting my cash stolen from me to buy shiny new surveillance toys that I don't think they should waste money on. There is, as the reports show, absolutely no accountability on how they spend that money. If all money from forfeiture was sent to a federal agency for spending in a way that didn't involve the police at all, I guarantee that seizures would drop to almost nothing. The police are FINANCIALLY INCENTIVIZED to steal money and assets from their communities whenever they can find the slightest excuse, and the bar is set [I]extremely[/I] low. It's a simple lawsuit based on zero real evidence that puts the entire burden on you to prove that you obtained your property legally, and if you can't prove it, the court assumes it was ill-gotten. Based, again, on zero evidence of any crimes taking place. In many cases, it is literally highway robbery. They stop you on the highway, see cash in your vehicle, and decide they want to take that cash. They have guns, you don't. That's robbery.

[QUOTE=evilweazel;46211675]Why does the article seem like its trying to spin it as the police bashing down some innocent guys door and robbing his house, and then finally fencing the stuff to fuel their MRAP: Freakin' Police State editions and basketball american elimination programs?[/QUOTE] Because that's actually happening.

watch out for the fuel police

Can I just remind you guys that the US are now using the same strain of vehicle that once patrolled townships during apartheid in South Africa? [img]http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000Nm1ujhbhewk/s[/img]

[QUOTE=CheeseMan;46212794]Can I just remind you guys that the US are now using the same strain of vehicle that once patrolled townships during apartheid in South Africa? [img]http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000Nm1ujhbhewk/s[/img][/QUOTE] Except they're not used to patrol townships in the US.

Well there was a well written article in the ajc back in 2012 on Georgia's loose property forfeiture laws that in one of the cases cited a cop stopped a family that was going to Florida to buy a house for speeding and then seized the cash the family was going to use on the house because "the cash could be used in the committing of a crime" . Its not exactly bashing when it is true and the ability to do so leads to it being done in excess.

[QUOTE=CheeseMan;46212794]Can I just remind you guys that the US are now using the same strain of vehicle that once patrolled townships during apartheid in South Africa? [img]http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000Nm1ujhbhewk/s[/img][/QUOTE] Is this true? Well I, for one, am appalled that our police haven't been made to use strictly non-racist APCs!

it's stuff like this that makes me nervous of getting stopped by police.

Wow, there's quite a number of people screaming 'POLICE STATE!' Here in this thread.

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;46212063]In many cases, it is literally highway robbery. They stop you on the highway, see cash in your vehicle, and decide they want to take that cash. They have guns, you don't. That's robbery.[/QUOTE] did yawmman steal you account? the hell?

[QUOTE=Rofl_copter;46211761][IMG]http://img.s-msn.com/tenant/amp/entityid/BB8MHBe.img?h=0&w=1012&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=969&y=717[/IMG] "just patrollin the neighborhood"[/QUOTE] Departments get these for very little, if not free, from the military. Which is cheaper for the Military because it costs money to get rid of them when they're no longer needed or wanted, and obviously cheaper for the department. And some departments will probably need these, if you recall riots, and North Hollywood in the past