Re:Cops still take more stuff from people than burglars do
by wahnfrieden on Wednesday August 02, 2023 @03:09PM
(#36975576)
Well the $100k story was determined to not have any evidence/proof beyond police suspicion (you can find more details that were released after this was written - the cops didn't like that her eyes darted once during questioning, that she said the luggage was gray not black, the cops said they smelled weed even though there was none found, etc - that was sufficient justification to seize the cash and close the case without filing any charges) and the money was not returned
To get the money back, it must be fought in court. Legal fees are not returned if the case is won, and if lost, you must cover the defense fees. In Illinois the median forfeiture was about $1k, with many <$100 forfeitures clustered in the poorest neighborhoods, while lawyer fees are ~$3k for state/local police cases. Federal seizures are much more expensive to fight.
There's no process where the police further verify the provenance of the cash they seize and return it without it being fought for in court. It's taken and they celebrate it and move on. So as with most police oversight, the numbers you're asking for don't exist.
To get the money back, it must be fought in court. Legal fees are not returned if the case is won, and if lost, you must cover the defense fees. In Illinois the median forfeiture was about $1k, with many <$100 forfeitures clustered in the poorest neighborhoods, while lawyer fees are ~$3k for state/local police cases. Federal seizures are much more expensive to fight.
There's no process where the police further verify the provenance of the cash they seize and return it without it being fought for in court. It's taken and they celebrate it and move on. So as with most police oversight, the numbers you're asking for don't exist.