The Militarization of America’s Police: A Brief History
By Brian Miller “Get the weapons of war off our streets!” This may sound familiar, as it’s often heard from those attempting to pass more…
Civil Forfeiture
Signed by the Governor: Arkansas Law to End Civil Asset Forfeiture
By Michael Maharrey On Monday, Governor Asa Hutchinson signed a bill that reforms Arkansas’ asset forfeiture laws to prohibit the state from taking a person’s…
Georgia Deputies Seize $500,000 in Cash from Motorist Cited for Traffic Violations
By Carey Wedler In recent years, the public and government alike have signaled disapproval toward the contentious police practice of civil asset forfeiture, where law…
Supremes Deliver Smackdown on Civil Asset Forfeiture
By Jon Miltimore The Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously ruled that state and local governments are subject to constitutional prohibitions on “excessive fines” on citizens….
Philadelphia’s Perverse Civil Asset Forfeiture Machine Has Finally Come to An End
By Brittany Hunter Philadelphia may be the birthplace of our Constitution, but its civil asset forfeiture program is anything but constitutional. The program has become…
City Forced To Abolish Civil Asset Forfeiture And Pay Back Victims The Millions It Stole From Them
By Rachel Blevins Philadelphia, PA – The city that has gained a reputation for the egregious civil asset forfeiture practices committed by its police department,…
New Colorado Law Expands Asset Forfeiture Reforms
By Michael Maharrey DENVER, Colo. (Sept. 1, 2018) – Today, a new Colorado law went into effect expanding asset forfeiture reporting requirements instituted last year. …
New Colorado Law Expands Asset Forfeiture Reforms
By Michael Maharrey On Tuesday, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill into law expanding asset forfeiture reporting requirements instituted last year. Rep. Leslie Herod (D-Denver)…
Missouri Police Using Federal Loophole to Skim Millions in Asset Forfeiture Proceeds
By Michael Maharrey Missouri police departments do an end-run around strict state asset forfeiture requirements and skim millions of dollars from Missouri schools using a…
Virginia Law Requires Strict Asset Forfeiture Reporting; First Step Toward Reform
By Michael Maharrey Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has signed a bill into law implementing reporting requirements for all asset forfeitures in the state, including cases…
To the Governor: Wisconsin Passes Bill Taking on Asset Forfeiture
By Michael Maharrey Yesterday, the Wisconsin Assembly gave final approval to a bill that would reform the state’s asset forfeiture laws to prohibit the state…
Washington Committee Passes Bill to Reform Asset Forfeiture Laws; First Step to Address Federal Loophole
By Michael Maharrey Last week, a Washington state House committee passed a bill that would improve the state’s asset forfeiture laws and set the stage…
Bipartisan Congress Put Jeff Sessions in His Place, Shut Down His Expansion of Civil Asset Forfeiture
By Rachel Blevins While it is a rare occasion when the group claiming to represent the will of the American people actually votes accordingly, the…
New Arizona Law Takes on State, Federal Asset Forfeiture
By Michael Maharrey On Tuesday, a new Arizona law reforming the state’s civil asset forfeiture process went into effect. The new law also takes on…