Asset Forfeiture Laws: A License to Steal?

April 2, 2010 by Dan Mitchell

This Institute for Justice video shows what happens when bad laws are enacted (often using the excuse of fighting crime) that give government unchecked power.

Posted in Crime, Government Thuggery | Tagged Crime, Government Thuggery | 50 Comments

50 Responses

on February 6, 2022 at 11:16 am Government Thuggery: A Continuing Series | International Liberty

[…] I believe in the rule of law, nobody should be subject to civil asset forfeiture (a.k.a., “policing for profit“), a reprehensible practice that allows governments to steal property without a finding of […]
on November 9, 2021 at 10:55 am One Story that Tells Us Everything We Need to Know about Government | International Liberty

[…] statement that is completely accurate: Supporters of civil asset forfeiture (also known as “policing for profit“) are neither decent nor […]
on September 2, 2021 at 8:38 am The Odious and Abusive Practice of Civil Asset Forfeiture | International Liberty

[…] Consider “civil asset forfeiture,” as described in this video. […]
on April 18, 2021 at 6:00 pm Dan Mitchell article ANOTHER VICTIM OF GOVERNMENT THUGGERY | The Daily Hatch

[…] Indeed, the law actually gives cops an incentive to steal. That’s why it’s known as “policing for profit.” […]
on April 18, 2021 at 7:34 am Another Victim of Government Thuggery | International Liberty

[…] Indeed, the law actually gives cops an incentive to steal. That’s why it’s known as “policing for profit.” […]
on December 8, 2020 at 9:21 am Policing for Profit Is Morally Offensive | International Liberty

[…] This is why asset forfeiture is accurately described as “policing for profit.” […]
on June 1, 2020 at 1:30 pm If We Want Better Policing, Eliminate Qualified Immunity | International Liberty

[…] in trying to address qualified immunity, he’s also a leader in the campaign to get rid of the odious practice of asset forfeiture, which effectively creates an incentive for government to steal private […]
on February 21, 2019 at 11:30 am Supreme Court Chips Away at Egregious Scam of Civil Asset Forfeiture | International Liberty

[…] a short video on the topic from the Institute for Justice (which, incidentally, deserves credit for the victory at the Supreme […]
on November 1, 2018 at 10:56 am Police Learn Hard Lesson in Absurdity of Asset Forfeiture - Self-Reliance Central

[…] Nearly 400 people in Wayne County who were never charged with a crime still lost property to law enforcement agencies last year through a legal procedure called civil asset forfeiture… Altogether, there were 736 asset forfeiture proceedings in Michigan in 2017 during which someone lost property to the government despite never being charged with any crime; this happened 380 times in Wayne County. …Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, who co-authored a recent report on civil forfeiture, said…it’s likely that these forfeitures disproportionately affected low-income individuals, who are less able to afford an attorney or navigate the legal system to reclaim their property. Revenue obtained from forfeited property typically goes to the agency that seized the property. Yes, you read correctly. The agency that steals the property gets to keep the money, which is why the disgusting practice of civil asset forfeiture is sometimes known as “policing for profit.” […]
on October 31, 2018 at 6:12 am A Humorous Look at Asset Forfeiture | International Liberty

[…] Yes, you read correctly. The agency that steals the property gets to keep the money, which is why the disgusting practice of civil asset forfeiture is sometimes known as “policing for profit.” […]
on September 1, 2018 at 8:04 am Stealing by Government | International Liberty

[…] Yes, indeed, the cop was a crook in this instance. That’s because civil asset forfeiture creates a horrible incentive called “policing for profit.” […]
on June 1, 2018 at 9:26 am Is Asset Forfeiture Disgusting, Nauseating, Reprehensible, Despicable, or Awful? | International Liberty

[…] Or “policing for profit.” […]
on September 16, 2017 at 9:38 am Civil Asset Forfeiture: A Slice of Venezuelan-Style Thuggery in America | International Liberty

[…] theft is enabled by “civil asset forfeiture” and we can now add Gerardo Serrano to the list of victims. The Washington Post has the […]
on July 29, 2017 at 7:55 am Jeff Sessions wants to steal your stuff – DonnyFerguson.com

[…] Even worse, government agencies are allowed to profit from this form of theft, creating a terrible incentive for abuse. […]
on July 24, 2017 at 10:10 am Jeff Sessions: Wildly Wrong on Civil Asset Forfeiture | International Liberty

[…] Even worse, government agencies are allowed to profit from this form of theft, creating a terrible incentive for abuse. […]
on March 25, 2017 at 9:59 am Some Good News about Much-Needed Reforms to Protect Americans from Civil Asset Forfeiture | International Liberty

[…] In other words, there’s a huge incentive for cops to misbehave. It’s called “policing for profit.” […]
on February 12, 2017 at 11:10 am Trump, Sessions, and the Disgusting Thuggery of Asset Forfeiture | International Liberty

[…] I’m not joking. This happens with distressing regularity. It’s called “policing for profit.” […]
on December 27, 2016 at 9:59 am The Local Government Extortion Racket | International Liberty

[…] is yet another example of innocent people victimized by “policing for profit,” which notoriously happens with civil asset […]
on November 13, 2016 at 10:08 am Should Governments Be Allowed to Steal Your Property? – Republican Party of Milwaukee County

[…] already written about the despicable practice of “civil forfeiture,” which allows governments to confiscate the property of innocent people […]
on June 30, 2015 at 4:05 pm An Example of Government Theft and Thuggery, or an Example of Drug War Lunacy? | International Liberty

[…] Yup, this is what’s called “policing for profit.” […]
on April 28, 2015 at 3:31 pm Stealing Is Legal…if You Work for the Government | International Liberty

[…] Instead, today’s topic is about a more specialized version of theft by government, which technically is called civil asset forfeiture but more accurately should be referred to as policing for profit. […]
on March 9, 2015 at 9:01 pm Great Moments in Local, State, National, and Foreign Government | Lex Rex for All

[…] War on Drugs, by contrast, has led to all sorts of policies that do infringe on our rights, from disgusting asset forfeiture policies to pointless snooping on our bank accounts. Or, as we just read, raids on okra […]
on March 9, 2015 at 11:49 am Great Moments in Local, State, National, and Foreign Government | Freedom's Floodgates

[…] War on Drugs, by contrast, has led to all sorts of policies that do infringe on our rights, from disgusting asset forfeiture policies to pointless snooping on our bank accounts. Or, as we just read, raids on okra […]
on March 9, 2015 at 11:34 am Great Moments in Local, State, National, and Foreign Government | International Liberty

[…] War on Drugs, by contrast, has led to all sorts of policies that do infringe on our rights, from disgusting asset forfeiture policies to pointless snooping on our bank accounts. Or, as we just read, raids on okra […]
on December 12, 2013 at 10:52 am Pot Legalization: A Common-Sense Way of Fighting Organized Crime | International Liberty

[…] The War on Drugs, for example, is the reason why politicians imposed costly and ineffective anti-money laundering laws. As well as disgusting and reprehensible asset forfeiture laws. […]
on October 13, 2013 at 8:13 am Law Enforcement Resources Should Be Used to Protect against Real Crimes

[…] Also keep in mind that the War on Drugs is the reason why politicians imposed costly and ineffective anti-money laundering laws. As well as disgusting and reprehensible asset forfeiture laws. […]
on October 12, 2013 at 1:57 pm Law Enforcement Resources Should Be Used to Protect against Real Crimes | International Liberty

[…] Also keep in mind that the War on Drugs is the reason why politicians imposed costly and ineffective anti-money laundering laws. As well as disgusting and reprehensible asset forfeiture laws. […]
on August 18, 2013 at 10:59 pm Another Great Moment in the Annals of Absurd Government Law Enforcement « Sago

[…] rights. But the War on Drugs had led to all sorts of policies that do infringe on our rights, from disgusting asset forfeiture policies to pointless snooping on our bank […]
on August 18, 2013 at 9:57 am Another Great Moment in the Annals of Absurd Government Law Enforcement | International Liberty

[…] rights. But the War on Drugs had led to all sorts of policies that do infringe on our rights, from disgusting asset forfeiture policies to pointless snooping on our bank […]
on February 20, 2013 at 12:00 pm Another Great Victory in the Drug War | Sago

[…] I’ve shared some horror stories about “asset forfeiture,” an odious procedure that allows the government to steal private property without any finding of […]
on February 20, 2013 at 9:18 am Another Great Victory in the Drug War « International Liberty

[…] I’ve shared some horror stories about “asset forfeiture,” an odious procedure that allows the government to steal private property without any finding of […]
on February 12, 2013 at 12:49 pm Is It Okay to Steal if You’re from the Government? « International Liberty

[…] It combines the lunacy of the drug war with the evil of asset forfeiture. […]
on November 1, 2012 at 10:55 am Should Governments Be Allowed to Steal Your Property? | Republican Party of Milwaukee County

[…] already written about the despicable practice of “civil forfeiture,” which allows governments to confiscate the property of innocent people […]
on October 29, 2012 at 5:45 pm Why Do We Continue To Allow Government To Run Rough Shod On Us | PatriotsBillboard

[…] already written about the despicable practice of “civil forfeiture,” which allows governments to confiscate the property of innocent people […]
on October 29, 2012 at 11:55 am Should Governments Be Allowed to Steal Your Property? | Tennesseans Watching Federal & State Government

[…] already written about the despicable practice of “civil forfeiture,” which allows governments toconfiscate the property of innocent people […]
on October 29, 2012 at 8:11 am Should Governments Be Allowed to Steal Your Property? « Constitutional Free America

[…] already written about the despicable practice of “civil forfeiture,” which allows governments to confiscate the property of innocent people […]
on October 29, 2012 at 2:14 am Should Governments Be Allowed to Steal Your Property? - Conservative Read

[…] already written about the despicable practice of “civil forfeiture,” which allows governments to confiscate the property of innocent people […]
on October 28, 2012 at 6:46 pm Should Governments Be Allowed to Steal Your Property? | Sago

[…] already written about the despicable practice of “civil forfeiture,” which allows governments to confiscate the property of innocent people […]
on October 28, 2012 at 12:16 pm Should Governments Be Allowed to Steal Your Property? « International Liberty

[…] already written about the despicable practice of “civil forfeiture,” which allows governments to confiscate the property of innocent […]
on July 17, 2012 at 2:07 pm Cory Booker’s Libertarian Case Against the Drug War « International Liberty

[…] the Drug War is mostly a vehicle to expand the size and power of government. It’s why we have fascist asset forfeiture laws and costly money laundering […]
on June 2, 2012 at 11:56 am North Carolina’s Attempted Censorship Shows How State Governments also Are a Threat to Liberty « International Liberty

[…] videos about their fights against the IRS, their battles in defense of property rights, and their campaign against abusive asset forfeiture policies. Rate this:Share this:PrintEmailFacebookTwitterMoredeliciousDiggFarkLinkedInRedditStumbleUponLike […]
on May 23, 2012 at 10:25 am Thieving and Reprehensible Government | The Dubuque Town Crier

[…] already posted a great video from the Institute for Justice about this topic, and I also suggest you read this horror story and this nauseating episode to see […]
on May 21, 2012 at 8:44 am Thieving and Reprehensible Government « International Liberty

[…] already posted a great video from the Institute for Justice about this topic, and I also suggest you read this horror story and this nauseating episode to see […]
on March 15, 2012 at 7:20 am Three Cheers for this Lawsuit against the Thugs at the IRS « International Liberty

[…] is a great organization that effectively fights for individual rights. Check out this IJ video on asset forfeiture laws (which basically enable stealing by the […]
on November 20, 2011 at 9:10 am In Semi-Defense of OWS Protesters « International Liberty

[…] why I’ve criticized abuses of police power, in cases such as asset forfeiture, the destructive war on drugs, videotaping of public officials, and persecution of victimless […]
on August 23, 2011 at 4:37 pm It’s Wrong to Steal…Even When the Government Does It Using Asset Forfeiture « ConservativeWatchNews.com

[…] I’ve already written about this issue (including an example from my county) and highlighted how asset forfeiture gives government bureaucracies a perverse incentive to steal. […]
on August 23, 2011 at 9:29 am It’s Wrong to Steal…Even When the Government Does It Using Asset Forfeiture « International Liberty

[…] I’ve already written about this issue (including an example from my county) and highlighted how asset forfeiture gives government bureaucracies a perverse incentive to steal. […]
on September 20, 2010 at 4:27 pm Giving Cops Bad Incentives to Harass Victimless Behavior « The Market Center Blog

[…] be deadly since cops killed an optometrist during a SWAT arrest. The Institute for Justice has a powerful video on the dangers of “policing for profit,” and Fairfax County is just one bad example of how this […]
on May 28, 2010 at 1:16 am Asset Forfeiture Laws Should Be Repealed « The Market Center Blog

[…] 25, 2010 by Dan Mitchell I´ve already posted a great video from the folks at the Institute for Justice about this issue, but this John Stossel column is another […]
on May 21, 2010 at 3:44 pm Asset Forfeiture Laws Should Be Repealed « International Liberty

[…] 21, 2010 by Dan Mitchell I´ve already posted a great video from the folks at the Institute for Justice about this issue, but this John Stossel column is another […]

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