Police Steal Retired Marine's Life Savings Under Guise Of Drug Money Forfeiture

Several years ago, "Dateline NBC" aired a hidden camera piece on police officers whose specialty is cruising the highway & fabricating a reason for pulling over out-of-state tourists & searching their vehicles & confiscating EVERYTHING they find of value - cash, jewelry & their vehicle if it's valuable. Of course, the purpose is to steal whatever they can under the guise of the "War on Drugs." They get to keep it under another guise: The property & cash is "Used to fight crime." Well.....not the crime committed by these cops, of course.

During this "Dateline" piece, an employee of the TV station drove a new expensive car (wired for sound & video) & within a short time, a cop pulled him over for "Illegal Lane Usage." Of course the cop didn't know the car's speed and the fact that there were NO lane changes were all on video. The cops seized the car, some jewelry & a few thousand dollars in cash they found when they searched the car - of course claiming the usual "We suspect the cash is proceeds from drug sales."
Later, a very embarrassed police chief was interviewed & tried to justify it.

A woman who was victimized by the police was pulled over in her new Lincoln Continental & even though they searched her car & didn't find anything, they wanted to seize the car, so they towed it to their station & completely dismantled it, looking for drugs. She had to spend a fortune in legal fees to replace the destroyed car. She successfully sued the city. Cops don't care because they are not held personally responsible; the city pays.
 

Nathan said:
Wow @win231 , I knew you were an "anti-cop" kind of guy, but didn't realize how deeply committed you were in pursuing this mindset.
Yea, nobody likes dirty cops...least of all me. But, most people realize that you can't blame all members of a given group, for the sins of a few.
Click to expand...
You don't read very well. I said "These thieves with badges." That doesn't mean all cops.
 
Those cops need to be robbed themselves, the confiscation of the cash was legal BS.

Fortunately the federal court agreed. The thieves were ordered to return the cash after a lawsuit was filed under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41 (g).

41(g) Motion to Return Property. A person aggrieved by an unlawful search and seizure of property or by the deprivation of property may move for the property's return. The motion must be filed in the district where the property was seized. The court must receive evidence on any factual issue necessary to decide the motion. If it grants the motion, the court must return the property to the movant, but may impose reasonable conditions to protect access to the property and its use in later proceedings.
 
I have known some crooked cops, after years as a cop they know how they can get away doing things for their advantage. When dealing with a cop keep your mouth shut and only answer the questions that pertain to the event that is relevant to you. Never give a cop the authority to search or enter your property. Ask the cop if you are being detained or are you free to go. View the cop as someone that is only interested in getting a promotion in his department and he will take you down so he can get that promotion.
 


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