A new report takes a look at how “law enforcement agencies have violated state and federal law” when it comes to asset forfeiture, particularly in drug-related cases.
The study from the left-leaning Drug Policy Alliance finds widespread abuse, and incentive for such abuse to continue.
“Because these assets often go straight into the coffers of the enforcement agency, these laws have led to a perversion of police priorities, such as increasing personnel on the forfeiture unit while reducing the number of officers on patrol and in investigation units,” the report states.
Which are the highest-ranking cities when it comes to seizing assets?
“What emerges in the new report is a picture of a handful of relatively small cities clustered in Los Angeles County that lead the state in per capita seizures (Baldwin Park, Beverly Hills, Gardena, Irwindale, La Verne, Pomona, South Gate, Vernon and West Covina).
“The report's analysis of fiscal records finds that many of these cities were providing false or inconsistent reports to the Justice Department, while some other cities appeared to be engaged in budgeting future forfeiture revenue, despite this being explicitly illegal under federal law.”
You can read the full report here