Minnesota State Auditor General Julie Blaha released the 2022 asset forfeiture report showing a 35% drop in completed forfeitures over the past five years.
“The decrease over the past five years is dramatic,” Blaha said in a statement.
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Democratic State Auditor Julie Blaha called for an end to criminal asset forfeiture under $1,500 because she said it unfairly affects low-income individuals.
Blaha based her assessment on the newly-released 2019 Asset Forfeitures report, which found 94 percent of the crimes resulting in forfeitures were DUIs and controlled substances. For the past five years, DUI-related forfeitures increased by 21 percent while controlled substance-related forfeitures grew by 13 percent.
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by Michael Maharrey Last month, a Minnesota House committee passed a bill that would reform asset forfeiture laws to prohibit the state from taking property without a criminal conviction. It would also close a loophole that allows police to circumvent more strict state laws by passing cases off to the federal government. But the bill faces significant law enforcement opposition as it continues through the legislative process. A bipartisan coalition of 15 representatives introduced House Bill 3725 (HF3725) on March 14. The legislation would reform Minnesota law by requiring a criminal conviction before prosecutors could proceed with asset forfeiture and would end civil asset forfeiture in the state. Grassroots activists on the ground in Minnesota say powerful law enforcement lobbying interests could jeopardize passage of HF3725. Follow the Money Police opposition to this legislation in Minnesota is illustrative. This same kind of intense push-back happens in every state that considers asset forfeiture reform, and the arguments being used by Minnesota police lobbyists feature the same twisted logic and duplicity we see across the country. Several law enforcement officers representing various lobbying groups testified during the House committee hearing on HF3725. They swore asset forfeiture wasn’t about the money, but virtually all of their…
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The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security inappropriately used $112,614 in asset forfeiture funds on catering, a luncheon, banquet tickets and retail food, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice. The report released this week looked at expenses from 2014 through 2016. Through the DOJ’s Equitable Sharing Program, state and local law enforcement agencies directly involved in cases resulting in federal forfeiture can claim a portion of federally forfeited cash, property and proceeds. But guidelines restrict using the assets for law enforcement purposes only. The purchase of food and beverages is included on a list of unallowable expenses. “The use of equitable sharing funds to purchase catering, a luncheon, banquet tickets and retail food is contrary to the Equitable Sharing Guide and its goal of promoting and maintaining the integrity of the Equitable Sharing Program to merit public confidence and support,” the report notes. When the DOJ presented its findings to the state Department of Safety, its controller said he did not know food-related purchases were not allowed, according to the report. Other officials said they considered catering expenses to be in support of law enforcement activities. The DOJ report also noted that the state Department…
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