Attorney General Eric Holder stops local and state police from using federal law to seize personal p

Today hell has frozen over as Eric Holder is actually doing something good. Now if they can prevent these asses from seizing property using local and state laws.

Link: www.washingtonpost.com

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Friday barred local and state police from using federal law to seize cash, cars and other property without proving that a crime occurred. Holder’s action represents the most sweeping check on police power to confiscate personal property since the seizures began three decades ago as part of the war on drugs. Since 2008, thousands of local and state police agencies have made more than 55,000 seizures of cash and property worth $3 billion under a civil asset forfeiture program at the Justice Department called Equitable Sharing.

The program has enabled local and state police to make seizures and then have them “adopted” by federal agencies, which share in the proceeds. The program allowed police departments and drug task forces to keep up to 80 percent of the proceeds of the adopted seizures, with the rest going to federal agencies.

“With this new policy, effective immediately, the Justice Department is taking an important step to prohibit federal agency adoptions of state and local seizures, except for public safety reasons,” Holder said in a statement.

About time. There have been so many reports of "Police Muggings" that it was starting to get ridiculous. "We suspect you are using this money for drugs, it's our money now." is a flimsy premise to seize property.

For once, I applaud Holder for this decision.

inb4 the far-right careens in here to find some reason to deride Holder on completely unrelated crap.

a reply to: infolurker

Bloody hell!

I did not think I would see the day when any person in power managed to actually pull their finger out and put a foot down on the neck of this disgraceful practice! I am sure Holder is still a moron for many reasons, but this is a step in the right direction if you ask me!

a reply to: infolurker

I'm shocked!

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

I'd agree. This one is where the Dems or their cronies don't get the bucks......

sh@@ and fall back in it, holder actually did something that he can say made a difference. now if he would get rid of the 10,000 withdraw limit being reported that would be even better.

I thought it would take a constitutional amendment to get this practice stopped.

Well, at least under Eric Holder it has. I wonder what the next AG will say about it.

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
About time. There have been so many reports of "Police Muggings" that it was starting to get ridiculous. "We suspect you are using this money for drugs, it's our money now." is a flimsy premise to seize property.

For once, I applaud Holder for this decision.

inb4 the far-right careens in here to find some reason to deride Holder on completely unrelated crap.

Hey hey hey. I'm neither far right nor a fan of Holder. But that's because he consistently sticks the DOJ's nose where it doesn't belong and does some highly questionable crap.

This isn't one of them. Good on him for taking this step. This whole thing was ripe for abuse, as the stories readily show.

That being said, his history makes me wonder when the other shoe will drop, and what it will be...

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: infolurker

Bloody hell!

I did not think I would see the day when any person in power managed to actually pull their finger out and put a foot down on the neck of this disgraceful practice! I am sure Holder is still a moron for many reasons, but this is a step in the right direction if you ask me!

Maybe.
I'm still waiting to hear the real reason behind this move.
Maybe the cartels are complaining.

a reply to: RedmoonMWC

Which ones? There are so many cartels out there these days, it is difficult to know which you might be referring to!

Seems good on the surface.

But with Holder/Obama, there is *always* a hidden agenda.

Some criminal organization must have got a Lobbyist.

a reply to: infolurker

Seriously I can't beleive Holder actually did something that makes sense!

a reply to: xuenchen

So... Obama is "The Beast" and Holder is "The Harlot"?

originally posted by: xuenchen
Seems good on the surface.

But with Holder/Obama, there is *always* a hidden agenda.

Some criminal organization must have got a Lobbyist.

Must have done the right thing for the wrong reason, eh?

Your partisanship is priceless.

The title is a bit misleading, it should read Holder limits.....

originally posted by: thesaneone
The title is a bit misleading, it should read Holder limits.....

Holder’s decision allows some limited exceptions, including illegal firearms, ammunition, explosives and property associated with child pornography, a small fraction of the total. This would eliminate virtually all cash and vehicle seizures made by local and state police from the program.

I don't think splitting hairs over illegal guns, explosives, and kiddie porn is important to the story.

a reply to: TheArrow

except for public safety reasons,” Holder said in a statement.

We all know that "public safety reasons" can mean anything.

originally posted by: thesaneone
a reply to: TheArrow

except for public safety reasons,” Holder said in a statement.

We all know that "public safety reasons" can mean anything.

That's from a statement, not from his order. We live in a society that values the Rule of Law, and something as ambiguous as "Public Safety Reasons" isn't the letter of said law. The example I gave was more in tune with the exceptions in the order, and what you gave was the reasoning for said exceptions.

a reply to: infolurker

Could he be creating a cushion for the incoming AG?

The Washington Post notes that, under President Obama, civil asset forfeitures have doubled. Now, as Eric Holder steps aside as US Attorney General, his potential replacement, nominee and US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta Lynch, recently announced that her office seized over $904 million in asset forfeitures in 2013 alone.

AG Nominee Loretta Lynch Boasts Having Seized $904 Million Through Asset Forfeitures in 2013 Alone

Sounds to me like Holder is doing nothing more than tenderizing the meat so it will be easier to chew?

a reply to: TheArrow

Nvm just read it.

So this just means that state and local police can still take your stuff as long as the its a state law?? Does this mean that the fed government can still take you stuff??