According to public documents secured by the Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), about $72 million in private property was seized by Illinois law enforcement agencies over the past two years.
Calling Illinois’ system “one of the more aggressive asset forfeiture programs in the country,” C.J. Ciaramella writes in the August/September 2016 issue of Reason that such programs create a “perverse incentive” for police to “go fishing for seizures”:
Asset forfeiture laws were created in the ’80s to disrupt drug traffickers and organized crime by seizing the fruits of their ill-gotten gains: cash, guns, and cars. And the tools of the criminal trade are well-represented in the list of Illinois seizures, which includes digital scales, money counters, safes, and guns (including AR-style rifles and shotguns). Among the vehicles law enforcement has taken are six Cadillac Escalades, six Mercedes-Benz sedans, and a 2013 Triumph Bonneville Steve McQueen Edition motorcycle. Electronics too are a popular target: Flatscreen TVs, especially of the 50-inch-and-above variety, were commonly seized by Illinois police, along with smartphones, iPads, digital cameras, laptops, video game systems, and Beats by Dre headphones.
But tucked among the cars and electronics are some head-scratchers: there’s “179 bottles of miscellaneous soap and shampoo,” a cordless drill and stapler, and a statue of Jesus Malverde, a Robin Hood-esque Mexican folk saint popular among drug runners.
One of civil liberties advocates’ biggest criticisms of asset forfeiture is that the proceeds are funneled directly back to police departments and district attorneys, creating a perverse incentive for law enforcement to go fishing for seizures.
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