On Thursday, February 9, 2017 at 12:50:59 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Thu, 9 Feb 2017 12:00:52 -0500, "Kurt V. Ullman"
wrote:

On 2/9/17 10:38 AM, wrote:
O

The cop makes the decision on the confiscation. It is the DA that
decides they can keep it. The whole thing is a scam tho and makes cops
little different than highway robbers. They are armed men who stop you
on the road and take your stuff at gunpoint, in many cases, never
proving that you did anything wrong except being there with something
they wanted, like a lot of money.

Nope. The cop makes the decision to take it into evidence for use at
trial. Same as a gun, or chewing gum, or anything else at the crime
scene. The prosecutor makes the determinaton on what comes next. Civil
forfeiture requires court filings and that isn't something the cop does.
Also a lot of the big buck things, bank accounts, houses, etc. are
seized away from the cops anyway.

A distinction without a difference. It is the cop that decides that
you have "too much money" or whatever.
The thing than makes this border on criminal is that they do not need
to actually charge a crime to take your property. The legal excuse is
that the property was the criminal and property does not have rights
so they can take it is a rubber stamp civil process where the human
victim is not even present to present a defense.
... And the cops DO get to keep most of the property., That is how
they get Corvette cop cars and 36' Yellow Fin and Contender patrol
boats.
The victim needs to start another proceeding to try to get his stuff
back and these are seldom successful. The government has time on their
side and the best lawyers your tax money can buy.

+1

The govt lawyers can argue forever, the taxpayers are paying for them.
The poor slob, he has to pay for his own lawyers, and even if he wins,
after the cost, it may not be worth it. If he loses, he's lost twice.