Lawmakers in Alabama have recently been taking a look at their civil asset forfeiture practices, in an effort to try and reign in the out-of-control practice that allows police to take property when they believe it's connected to criminal activity.
Rather than get rid of the practice entirely or requiring a criminal conviction before any property is taken, the Senate in Alabama recently voted to push through changes that would require the Senate to track how the police are using the civil asset forfeiture legislation.
The bill was voted on and passed 25-1 and it's now going to the House of Representatives.
However, simply tracking the injustices isn't going to stop them from happening.
Many hardworking people have had their lives ruined because of the wrongful actions of the police in confiscating their property or wrongfully claiming that they found some contraband on the person.
They've had to be humiliated in their community, suffered being locked in a cage, lost businesses, been taken away from their loved ones, lost their live savings, had to pay tens of thousands in bail over charges that never should've been laid on them in the first place.
The civil asset forfeiture practice has fueled an environment that does not work to keep Americans safe; it does the exact opposite.
It endangers them of losing their private property unjustly at the hands of corrupt police officers and it continues to happen daily across the country. If the police have reasonable suspicion and evidence to believe that someone is engaged in unlawful activity, then they should have to follow due process and prove that in a court of law before being able to confiscate people's property on simply a hunch.
In 2015, it's estimated that law enforcement in the state of AL was able to pocket over $2.2 million thanks to this controversial practice.
If Alabama lawmakers want to attack and degrade the Constitution and due process of law, then they're doing a fine job of accomplishing just that. The civil asset forfeiture laws in Alabama are among the worst in the nation and rather than trying to placate the public with efforts like this recent bill in the Senate, they should look to make some actual changes in revamping and scaling back this corrupt legislation.
Pics:
Pixabay
Mad Max via Giphy
Sources:
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/senate-votes-to-track-civil-asset-forfeiture-cases/
http://ij.org/pfp-state-pages/pfp-alabama/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/instituteforjustice/2018/01/24/new-alabama-bill-would-abolish-civil-forfeiture-require-convictions-to-confiscate-property/2/#336713504d67
http://yellowhammernews.com/alabamas-civil-asset-forfeiture-reform-effort-takes-a-turn-towards-creating-a-public-database-on-property-seizures/
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