Asset Forfeiture Laws - Gross Mismanagement Corruption - It Was Inevitable.

[TripleB]

Well, it was inevitable. Asset forfeiture of "drug money" in one suburb of Miami, Florida has been audited and used to fund local police BBQs, big screen TVs for the station, expensive lunches/dinners for officers, etc.

Great work, government! Keep up the fantastic job keeping us safe from the "criminals" that use drugs. You get overtime pay plus get to spend seized assets as a slush fund while our tax dollars pay to lock up these drug "criminals." Sweet deal.

ARTICLE EXCERPT:

"Flush with millions of dollars seized from drug dealers, Bal Harbour police financed a freewheeling spending spree: $3,200 for a Miami-Dade police chiefs golf outing at Miami Shores Country Club; $1,000 for two nights’ stay at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and thousands more in sumptuous meals at Carpaccio Restaurant in the Bal Harbour Shoppes.

There were trips galore to Home Depot and Party City, for items such as cooking fuel and folding tables and chairs; to Publix and BJs Wholesale Club for food platters, dessert trays and picnic supplies; to BrandsMart USA for a flat-screen TV, a microwave oven and other appliances."

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/12/15/3 ... ishly.html

[Pointedstick]

A contrarian point of view: at least it's better that they spent the money on a big wasteful junket that took them far away from the station house than more military weapons to wield in the next no-knock raid that kills grandpa.

[RuralEngineer]

A contrarian point of view: at least it's better that they spent the money on a big wasteful junket that took them far away from the station house than more military weapons to wield in the next no-knock raid that kills grandpa.

Our only options are blatant corruption and misuse of funds or wrongful death as a result of a (IMO) unconstitutional no-knock warrant forced entry?

Hopefully in Indiana (where I live) the LEO's will think twice about no-knock warrants now that they can be killed if they get it wrong, no liability to the homeowner.

[TripleB]

Hopefully in Indiana (where I live) the LEO's will think twice about no-knock warrants now that they can be killed if they get it wrong, no liability to the homeowner.

The homeowner will still get killed in the process. 9 out of 10 times when a person kills a cop, that person is gunned down by police. The best story I read in recent years is a cop-killer who went on the run in rural Central Florida and a team of about a dozen law enforcement officers went into the woods to get him. They found him hiding in a tree and all 10 officers unloaded 30 round magazines into the suspect who "refused to get out and threatened the officers from the hiding position."

Can you blame the police? If you were a police officer and someone killed one of your coworkers/"brothers"/friends/colleagues, and you were put in a position where you could easily and legally get revenge while simultaneously sending a message to anyone else who might shoot at you or other cops, you'd kill them too. The police are doing exactly what you'd expect them to do given the circumstances they are put in. The problem isn't an individual officer, it's the system.

Ban drugs and other victimless crimes, then when the ban fails, increase the authority of law enforcement while simultaneously increasing the profitability of the blackmarket, and it's inevitable we have the exactly results we have today.

[Pointedstick]

A contrarian point of view: at least it's better that they spent the money on a big wasteful junket that took them far away from the station house than more military weapons to wield in the next no-knock raid that kills grandpa.

Our only options are blatant corruption and misuse of funds or wrongful death as a result of a (IMO) unconstitutional no-knock warrant forced entry?

Ideally, I would prefer no asset forfeiture laws, no police corruption, no drug laws, no police militarization, no more no-knock raids, and all sorts of other juicy libertarian goals, and I argue and vote in favor of them whenever I can.

But outside of that, given that we have asset forfeiture laws, I'm happier that the stolen money be entirely wasted than spent on further oppressing the people who were previously robbed.