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306 Comments
- TheKriket, on 11/12/2009, -8/+379They're cops, they can do what they want, without being held accountable.... unless somebody got them on video, of course.
- anarcurt, on 11/12/2009, -3/+251'Police departments right now are looking for ways to generate revenue'
Does anyone else read this and get sick? Police should not be generating revenue at all. It is such a gross conflict of interest that it's amazing anyone ever allowed this. Crime enforcement should not be for profit. Seizures, red light cameras, tickets, fines should never go to police funding. If they want to balance their budget how about they start with wages or cutting their rediculous pensions. - varun1s, on 11/12/2009, -4/+164Happened to my friend too. They seized $40,000 from his bank account and are not giving it back. No charges filed. He is paying an attorney $20,000 to try to get it back. And the worst part is all his money is already accounted for!! The police claim that his withdrawing too much money was the problem. A lot of people keep some money as cash seeing how banks have failed lately. Now you can't withdraw your OWN money at your own terms!!!!
I've heard several stories like this, the police seize money whenever the law lets them and most people's lawyers negotiate to get some of it back, so the police get to keep the rest. - GDLaws, on 11/12/2009, -2/+129I have a friend who's father died and she inherited a large sum of cash. The San Diego PD froze all her assets and she now cannot access any of them meaning she can't pay off the funeral etc. She is trying to deal with it, but they froze her assets on suspicion of money laundering or something and she even has the will, death certificate and her father's attorney but they still won't unfreeze her assets.
Is it just me or does it scare anyone else that the SDPD even found at that she got all this cash? I know banks are required to report large deposits to the IRS, but how did the Police get wind of this information? - MathieuB, on 11/12/2009, -3/+126Legally Stealing is an oxymoron if you ask me. This is pure and simple stealing and that's ridiculous.
- IronBreakfast, on 11/12/2009, -3/+109Governments should be afraid of their people, not the other way around.
- AmyVernon, on 11/12/2009, -4/+95That's frakked up. And, sorry, to me that doesn't sound "legal."
- hblask, on 11/12/2009, -3/+92This is a direct consequence of the Insane War on Drugs. The RICO laws were implemented as a means to slow the drug trade, but police found them so profitable they've been extending them to all sorts of other crimes.
Whenever you create victimless "crimes", the results are bound to be bad, because victimless crimes requires police to seek out problems instead of responding to complaints. And the only way to find the bad guys (who are the only ones actively avoiding being found) is an increasingly militaristic and irrational law enforcement. - Lavarock, on 11/12/2009, -2/+81FTA: "Police departments right now are looking for ways to generate revenue, and forfeiture is a way to offset the costs of doing business," said Sgt. Dave Schreiner, who runs Canton Township's forfeiture unit, which raised $343,699 in 2008. "You'll find that departments are doing more forfeitures than they used to because they've got to -- they're running out of money and they've got to find it somewhere."
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FIXED: "Criminals right now are looking for ways to generate revenue, and robbery is a way to offset the costs of doing business," said David "Gangbusta" Schriener, who runs Canton Township's most prominent gang, which raised $343,699 in 2008. "You'll find that criminals are doing more stealing than they used to because they've got to -- they're running out of money and they've got to find it somewhere." - Wilbur666, on 11/12/2009, -3/+72"We would be just as aggressive even if there wasn't any money involved." - say that quote out loud. Really, you would be just as aggressive with no money involved? Hmmmmm, that really doesn't sound believeable just like the ridiculous excuses the Detroit Police department continue to rationalize for these seizures. That's what happens during a recession, crime goes up all around, but how does one accuse the Police department of committing crime? Who are they going to report to?
- sjr09, on 11/12/2009, -3/+71Hah, and even if there is video proof, there still is a good chance they'll get just a slap on the wrist.
- DangerCollie, on 11/12/2009, -2/+68What's next? The police going to start hijacking trucks and holding them for ransom? That's kinda what this is.
I wonder if anyone has tried suing any of these PD's to get their money back? Charging innocent people to get their property back is tantamount to punishment. You used to be able to get your defense money back. Of course, to Scalia and Scalito there's no such thing as an unreasonable search or seizure. - eastwood24, on 11/12/2009, -3/+68What a broken, corrupted and unsustainable system they've developed in Detroit. I know in my city as a remedy for budget shortfalls, they have increasingly become reliant on traffic citations, but out right theft of innocent citizens is a new low. I hope this isn't constituting a new trend as a result of the crapfest of an economy we've fallen into.
- growvideos, on 11/12/2009, -9/+72Pigs!
- gttim, on 11/12/2009, -3/+63Who doesn't think we live in a militarized police society now?
"Yeah, we are taking your property, and you are lucky we don't taser your ass while we are doing it!" - JTMON, on 11/12/2009, -1/+61""We're trying to fight crime," said Police Chief Mike Pachla of Roseville, where the money raised from forfeitures jumped more than tenfold, from $33,890 to $393,014.
"We would be just as aggressive even if there wasn't any money involved."
Ya, go ***** yourself you lying piece of *****, who the ***** do you think believes you? Nobody! - alricsca, on 11/12/2009, -1/+58In Florida a dad lost his yacht after his son unknown to him smoked a joint on board. They did not find the joint, they cut out a piece of the deck with a burn on it and had it analyzed for THC. This was enough for him to lose the boat. Imagine that, someone leaves a pot burn on your deck, there goes the house. It is fundamentally insane.
- shutaro, on 11/12/2009, -13/+63***** THA POLICE!
- Apex3, on 11/12/2009, -0/+49But how else are they gonna pay for brand new Chargers for their entire force?
/s - jserio, on 11/12/2009, -0/+45CNN had a story similar to this in some hick county in Texas where Sheriff deputies woudl pull over minority drivers and accuse them of trafficking in drugs. They would never officially charge them and usually let them off with a large bribe (cash or property - like jewelry). Turns out the county attorney would then spend that money on "discretionary" items and the deputies woudl also get kick backs int he name of bonuses. Here's a link to the story:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/11/texas.car.stop ... - ScottyAnimal, on 11/12/2009, -1/+44FTA "You'll find that departments are doing more forfeitures than they used to because they've got to -- they're running out of money and they've got to find it somewhere."
Sounds like the same reason the theif would give for stealing your car. Just trying to survive. - SamuraiPanda, on 11/12/2009, -1/+41When I clicked the article, I was thinking that I'd hate to be one of those people they're talking about... Then I realize the article was based in Michigan... And that they were talking about my county and the 2 around it... And that my township has one of the highest rates of this happening.
*****. - 3nder99, on 11/12/2009, -0/+39They wrote those illegal laws for the Drug War.
This has been going on for years. - inactive, on 11/12/2009, -1/+36Why is OK for the government to steal? They should at least have to live by the same laws as the everyday people, if not more stringent laws being that they are being paid by us and are supposedly working for us.
- voisine, on 11/12/2009, -0/+33You seem to be under the mistaken impression that "law" and "justice" are somehow related.
- rancemo, on 11/12/2009, -1/+34That's a completely ignorant statement. How can an object be evidence, if there is no crime? If there is no crime and no charges filed, it's impossible to have evidence. You need to look up evidence in the dictionary. It is absolutely evidence of theft by the police.
- BESTenemy, on 11/12/2009, -1/+33Just having large amounts of currency on you turns you into a suspect, if confronted by police. Surely, the only reason people carry more than the lunch money, is to buy drugs. The police can cease cash and keep it.
- lurrch1, on 11/12/2009, -1/+33It's just business as usual.
- haikuFU, on 11/12/2009, -0/+31All transactions over $10k are flagged and reported to law enforcement, it's a federal law that banks must report it. I'm not doing anything illegal, but if I'm doing something with more than $10k, I split it up into smaller chunks when I move it around to avoid this sort of *****.
I had $15k worth of checks to deposit a couple of months back, and I spread them out over 3 weeks. Even if you didn't do anything wrong, it's not worth risking being on someone's radar.
My buddy took out a $28k cashier's check a few years ago to buy a car from a private party, and he had to argue with the bank manager to get them to cut the check. They only did it after he threatened to close his account and go elsewhere. Then, the cops came to his house a couple of days later to question him about his large withdrawal. ***** *****. - Rothbardosaurus, on 11/12/2009, -1/+29DUH. This is what the war on drugs is all about.
- Slayer706, on 11/12/2009, -1/+29"Police departments right now are looking for ways to generate revenue"
Then why don't they rob banks or sell drugs? I guess those are more blatant crimes than stealing from citizens... - DryMaltExtract, on 11/12/2009, -9/+36What are you people getting so mad for? You're not going to do anything about it, just go back to the TV.
- s73v3r, on 11/12/2009, -1/+28I don't think they're so much legal as people don't fight it as much as they should.
- publikjohn, on 11/12/2009, -3/+29welcome to the new world order where if you dont comply with your orders, officer pavlov gets out his sizzle stick and makes you do the electron dance until you piss and ***** yourself.
- mnemy, on 11/12/2009, -7/+33Police are just thugs and bandits that the government unfortunately give authority. This needs to change. Fighting crime is a noble cause, but it seems like most loose sight of that goal after hours and hours of meaningless ticketing, etc.
They are supposed to be our SERVANTS, not our mafia that extorts "protection" money. - inactive, on 11/12/2009, -0/+23Well I know that there are some cases such as Billy Munnerlyn's in which he was never convicted of a crime, his plane was seized along with 8500 dollars cash as evidence and he was given the chance to purchase back the plane for 66000 dollars even though he was never convicted.
- DoogyZ, on 11/12/2009, -1/+24and when you buy YOUR property back, you have to sign a form stating that you will not sue them! talk about a rackett. The new prosecuter in Oakland county ran her campaign on "bringing back the forefieture department and increasing revenues from it"
- BESTenemy, on 11/12/2009, -0/+23 And if any kind of ***** breaks loose, they'll not be fighting on your behalf. They'll be protecting their own families. They'll be looting along with the scavengers, with the added advantage of weapons and issued transportation. Just look at what happened during Kathrina.
They're people - as kind and as corrupt as any person without the uniform. There are good cops and bad cops. Good ones won't save the world, but the bad ones will do enough damage to make you regret ever trusting any of them. - PowderedToasty, on 11/12/2009, -1/+24You sound very level headed.
- TheSwashbuckler, on 11/12/2009, -1/+23***** the legislatures that passed the laws that allowed police to do this BS.
- JohnGalt750, on 11/12/2009, -0/+22Not to mention that pot could have been smoked in international waters.
- HeavyWave, on 11/12/2009, -0/+20"the costs of doing business". Business? Since when being a police department is a business?
- willmiller82, on 11/12/2009, -1/+21If you read the article its not just happening in detroit, its happening all over south east Michigan. Who can protect the sheep when the sheppard decides to butcher the flock?
- hblask, on 11/12/2009, -0/+18I did some research after I read your comment, and it appears likely that you are correct. I think drugs and other illegal products was the main business of the mafia back then, but the laws were very broad-based. In recent years (for the last 15 years or so) they have been used predominantly in the drug war.
Thanks for keeping me honest :) - varun1s, on 11/12/2009, -0/+18I'd still watch out dude. There's another section in the law called "Structuring" which is specifically designed to prosecute those who are trying to avoid the $10k flag by structuring it into multiple withdrawals.
They pretty much have us by our balls. - HeavyWave, on 11/12/2009, -0/+16That's the most ***** up sentence I've read all day. Month even. They might be thinking of ways to save tax payers money, but revenue? Who does that go to? No one pays them money to think about revenues.
- DirtyVicar, on 11/12/2009, -6/+22Holy *****, you have got to be kidding. The customer is going to be someone with deep pockets and you can bet the private security corporation is going to be operating without transparency. Police departments are part of =public= government for a reason. I guess you're a fan of corporate goons, extraordinary rendition, and all that?
- HowlingAwe, on 11/12/2009, -1/+16Extortion through legal means, lovely.
- exhale100, on 11/12/2009, -1/+16I knew my iPod wasn't evidence. :\
- Nerotique, on 11/12/2009, -2/+16That's true. One time, this cop took my weed.
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