Police=Highway robbers

[OutofDate1980]

It appears the forfeitures laws have incentivized some local and state police officers to become highway bandits. Pull one over for a pretext violation, confiscate your property with no need to be charged with a crime.

Sarah Stillman: The Use and Abuse of Civil Forfeiture : The New Yorker

"Yet only a small portion of state and local forfeiture cases target powerful entities.

 

[Gmash]

This has been going on forever, usually small towns targeting out of towners passing through, knowing they probably won't bother fighting it. Literal highway robbery.

 

[OutofDate1980]

This has been going on forever, usually small towns targeting out of towners passing through, knowing they probably won't bother fighting it. Literal highway robbery.

Yeah, but mostly speedtrap stealing. This is an order of magnitude larger, they just say you're involved with drugs with no evidence and confiscate any cash, property,etc you have and keep it then pay a bonus to themselves.

 

[out of ideas]

nah the drug thing has been going on since at least the 80s when biden championed those forfeiture laws.

it is especially big anywhere thats labeled a "drug corridor". which if you look into it is pretty much any major highway these days.

The thing is any decent amount of cash will be picked up by drug dogs, as most cash contains trace amounts of drugs on it.

This is compounded by the fact that drug dogs have been shown to falsely alert to make their handlers happy. Which gives the cops a reason to rip you out and rip apart your car and take any cash or fancy electronics they want.

 

[copestag]

The thing is any decent amount of cash will be picked up by drug dogs, as most cash contains trace amounts of drugs on it.

there was a study a few years ago that said 90% of all US currency contained cocaine residue on it

a drug dog is going to find evidence of drugs on almost anyone who has any amount of cash

 

[SiempreTuna]

I have a pet theory that all politicians who are anti-legalistation of drugs are actually funded by drug lords. If I was a drug lord, I'd definitely want to make sure drugs weren't legalised and I can't think of anyone else the current laws benefit

 

[copestag]

I have a pet theory that all politicians who are anti-legalistation of drugs are actually funded by drug lords. If I was a drug lord, I'd definitely want to make sure drugs weren't legalised and I can't think of anyone else the current laws benefit

lets narrow it down to marijuana for instance

I would think they would want it fully legal and taxed..... this would most likely increase their sales

if you could run to your local gas station and pay $6+tax for a joint or you could run to your local dealer and pay $3 for a joint.... which way would you run?

as an example take a look at interstate commerce such as fuel or tobacco.... I live near a major city that borders another state..... one state has extremely high taxes on fuel and tobacco...... the state with the major city has relatively low taxes on both........ everyday there are tons of people who drive the very short distance (maybe 10 miles in most cases) across the state line to save the money on taxes...... despite being illegal in the case of tobacco