Holder Does Something Good

[icanthearyou 3,315]

http://news.yahoo.com/u-attorney-general-bans-asset-seizure-local-police-195542428.html

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - State and local police in the United States will no longer be able to use federal laws to justify seizing property without evidence of a crime, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Friday.

The practice of local police taking property, including cash and cars, from people that they stop, and of handing it over to federal authorities, became common during the country's war on drugs in the 1980s.

Holder cited "safeguarding civil liberties" as a reason for the change in policy.

The order directs federal agencies who have collected property during such seizures to withdraw their participation, except if the items collected could endanger the public, as in the case of firearms.

Holder said the ban was the first step in a comprehensive review the Justice Department has launched of the program.

[penguin149 351]

Be careful. This does not apply in cases of "public safety"....such as firearms. If there is a rifle or pistol present or involved, all bets are off.

[AURaptor 1,113]

Yep

[AUDub 9,954]

Be careful. This does not apply in cases of "public safety"....such as firearms. If there is a rifle or pistol present or involved, all bets are off.

Admittedly haven't researched it yet, but are you sure that's the case? Reading the article, I thought the exclusion only applied to the public safety threats themselves. That is, if you're arrested with a gun and cash, you'd keep the cash while they confiscated your gun.

[icanthearyou 3,315]

Be careful. This does not apply in cases of "public safety"....such as firearms. If there is a rifle or pistol present or involved, all bets are off.

Admittedly haven't researched it yet, but are you sure that's the case? Reading the article, I thought the exclusion only applied to the public safety threats themselves. That is, if you're arrested with a gun and cash, you'd keep the cash while they confiscated your gun.

You are correct except, you didn't even have to be arrested or, charges ever filed. In my opinion, it constituted legal theft of private property by the government for nothing more the suspicion.

[AUDub 9,954]

Be careful. This does not apply in cases of "public safety"....such as firearms. If there is a rifle or pistol present or involved, all bets are off.

Admittedly haven't researched it yet, but are you sure that's the case? Reading the article, I thought the exclusion only applied to the public safety threats themselves. That is, if you're arrested with a gun and cash, you'd keep the cash while they confiscated your gun.

You are correct except, you didn't even have to be arrested or, charges ever filed. In my opinion, it constituted legal theft of private property by the government for nothing more the suspicion.

Thank you for the clarification. This is good news.

[Weagle1787 531]

Thank you, Eric Holder.

If I had a dollar for every time I uttered that sentence, I could have made a 20 minute long distance phone call in the 90's.

However, its still just a band-aid in a bullet wound, IMO- one that is one authoritarian administration away from being immediately reversed. What is needed is legislative repeal and state level nullification if necessary. That along with strict penalties for noncompliance.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Weagle1787

[homersapien 9,736]

http://news.yahoo.co...-195542428.html

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - State and local police in the United States will no longer be able to use federal laws to justify seizing property without evidence of a crime, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Friday.

The practice of local police taking property, including cash and cars, from people that they stop, and of handing it over to federal authorities, became common during the country's war on drugs in the 1980s.

Holder cited "safeguarding civil liberties" as a reason for the change in policy.

The order directs federal agencies who have collected property during such seizures to withdraw their participation, except if the items collected could endanger the public, as in the case of firearms.

Holder said the ban was the first step in a comprehensive review the Justice Department has launched of the program.

This is a good move. It removes an obvious conflict of interest that foments corruption. The apocryphal case is losing your yacht because a Cannabis seed was found in the carpet.

Edited January 17, 2015 by homersapien