This financial incentive, combined with the relative ease with which law enforcement agencies can seize property, is a recipe for abuse, as the countless stories of innocent people subjected to abusive forfeitures attest. [More]And while they have unlimited resources and get paid every step of the way, most of us would be hard pressed to take just a day or two off to appear in court, let alone finance a legal defense that would wend its way through the courts and appeals for years. Especially with our own assets being tied up.
So much for a main justification for even having a government in the first place: "...to secure the blessings of Liberty..."
[Via Michael G]
Regarding civil asset forfeiture, law enforcement's slogan reads:
ReplyDelete'To secure your blessings of Liberty for our Department's budget.'