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​Civil forfeiture, which allows police to permanently seize assets from suspects as part of an investigation, has risen dramatically in recent years. 

But rarely has the controversial process been visualized more starkly than this video shot in Berkeley, California over the weekend, in which Officer Sean Aranas writes a man a ticket for selling hot dogs without a permit and then opens up the man's wallet and removes every bit of cash:

 

UCPD is reportedly looking into the incident, and Martin Flores, who shot the video, has started raising money to recoup the hot dog seller's losses and cover potential legal fees. 

Despite growing opposition to the practice, it looks set to continue — at least while Jeff Sessions, a strong advocate of the policy, remains as Attorney General. Over the past decade, police departments around the country have stepped up their seizures — in 2015, the police actually seized more assets than burglars stole:

 Washington Post

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