Cops Can Confiscate Money And Property From Law Abiding Citizens :: 06/01/2012

Prepare to be outraged. If you've ever traveled with a large sum of money, police can legally confiscate it. It's a burgeoning trend known as "policing for profit," and law enforcement agencies are using it to bolster their budgets.

George Reby, a New Jersey-based insurance adjuster was pulled over for speeding while driving through Putnam County, Tenn. several months ago. The officer who pinched him asked him if he had any money, asked to search the car, and took more than $20,000 in cash from Reby.

Reby didn't see his money for four months, but that's because he was proactive. In many cases, law enforcement agencies keep confiscated property indefinitely, even if the person they took it from was not guilty of any crime. Property seizures - known officially as civil asset forfeitures - aren't limited to cash. Cars and other property can be taken, too, with money often going directly into the seizing agency's budget. There are documented cases of law enforcement using funds inappropriately , ala Boss Hogg .

How are they able to do this? Simple: large sums of money mean drug trafficking. Obviously. I mean who would carry $6,000 in a briefcase under the seat unless they were going to use it to buy a bunch of coke?

Well, me for starters. I have a distinct memory of selling my '68 Mustang for $5,800. The buyer drove from Minnesota to Virginia Beach in a beat up truck, laden with c-notes. After the sale, I drove to my local bank to deposit the money, dropping more than half of it on the ground as I got out of my truck. I was so scared that the wind would kick up and blow it all away as I scrambled to get every last bill. Who knew that what I really had to fear was a cop who could say I might have used it for drug trafficking.

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, but you won't necessarily be able to defend yourself. In Tennessee, George Reby found out that civil asset seizure hearings are, by statute, ex parte, meaning that a judge will review the officer's affidavit, but the person accused of being a drug trafficker is not allowed to weigh in with his or her side of the story. It sounds suspiciously like Charles Darnay's third trial in A Tale of Two Cities - the court already knows what it wants.