Policing for Profit: Cops Took More from Citizens Than Burglars Did Last Year

According to a new report on asset forfeiture from the Institute for Justice, police seized $4.5 billion in cash and property through civil forfeiture last year. That exceeds the $3.9 billion worth of property stolen in burglaries during the same period.

When you think about getting property stolen, you think about criminals, but maybe you should be thinking about the police. Law enforcement use of asset forfeiture laws to seize property—often without a criminal conviction or even an arrest—has gone through the roof in recent years, and…