TechDirt reports
After years of civil asset forfeiture abuse, legislators are finally fighting back. Reform bills have been offered up all over the country. Unfortunately, very few of them have made it to state governors' desks intact.
The Free Thought Project continues
California Governor Jerry Brown recently [September 29] signed into law a piece of legislation requiring police to secure an actual conviction before stealing people's stuff in drug-related offenses.
Civil asset forfeiture has been rightly likened to state-sanctioned armed robbery as it allows police to commandeer cash, vehicles, homes, or any property of value--even if the person is never charged with a crime--and then use or sell the items for profit for their departments.
Police in Oklahoma, for example, recently honed their thievery by rolling out nefarious Electronic Recovery and Access to Data machines, known as ERAD, which can scan your bank account and prepaid cards, and--if an officer believes any balances are tied to a crime--can wipe those accounts dry.
California's new law, formerly Senate Bill 443, quashes this nightmarish policing-for-profit in the exact way advocates of civil asset forfeiture (CAF) reform have been demanding for years.
[Continues...]
TechDirt also notes
Not only does the law contain a conviction requirement--something that should greatly reduce the amount of abuse--but it closes a loophole [that] law enforcement agencies love using to route around state-level restrictions.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, police departments in California will be largely prohibited from transferring seized property to federal agencies in order to sidestep state conviction requirements. The legislation forbids the transfer of property, like vehicles and homes, and specifically raises the threshold on cash seizures, requiring the government to obtain a conviction before permanently confiscating any amount under $40,000. (The previous cap was $25,000.) For larger cash seizures, authorities must provide "clear and convincing" evidence of a connection to criminal activity before taking the money for good.
Previous: Civil Asset Forfeiture Goes Digital [ERAD]
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(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 07 2016, @09:29AM
I think I'd feel safer with the Yakuza than with US cops. They seem more reasonable and less prone to random violence on "normal folk" (especially to those who keep up with their "premiums").
Not saying the Yakuza aren't violent or bad people, they certainly are but the Yakuza don't kill "civilians" for really stupid reasons as often as the US cops.
I've seen plenty of videos of US cops shooting or killing civilians for stupidly bad reasons. Whereas to the Yakuza the civilians are more like cows. It's bad for business to kill your cows- the rest might stop producing milk. Plus the boss might get unhappy with you...
There seems to be even more accountability: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/yakuza-employer-liability-murder-suit-ends-settlement/322910/ [theatlantic.com]
The murder of Nozaki was one of several reasons Tsukasa banished Goto from the Yamaguchi-gumi in October of 2008.
So what do you think? US cops worse than Yakuza? ;)
See also:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/mobsters-on-a-mission-how-japans-mafia-launched-an-aid-effort-2264031.html [independent.co.uk]
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 07 2016, @09:41AM
Yakuza: organized crime
US cops: badly organized crime
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 07 2016, @12:45PM
US cops: unionized crime
(Score: 0, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 07 2016, @10:10AM
I would go with the Yakuza hands down.
They don't shoot people just for being non-white.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 07 2016, @10:17AM
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Friday October 07 2016, @03:30PM
Not to mention that they are a fucking mess compared to the old school Cosa Nostra folk who kept a low profile.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday October 07 2016, @04:54PM
The cops don't need to keep a low profile, because you pay your protection tax over the table.
(Score: -1, Troll) by zugedneb on Friday October 07 2016, @06:03PM
a better question is why the civilian population is so hated by those who serve it.
the thing with a true crime org is that you can not talk back to any degree at all. you need a higher power to set you free eventually.
the thing with the jews is, that when the legitimate - so to speak - power is weakened, they manage to take over everything, because they have not lost money on the crisis. but still, you will never actually meet them, they will just end up owning you.
but the only people you could have on your side, who is more or less one of you, hates you like rats.
so wtf is wrong?
or u, the nice and smelling-good civilians do nothing wrong? as usual?
someone is always after you or trolling you, you just don't get why...?
old saying: "a troll is a window into the soul of humanity" + also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ajax
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 07 2016, @06:58PM
Did you see "yakuza" and think "Jewish skullcap"??
Big hint: The Yakuza is Japan's version of the Mafia.
Lately, you have gotten a whole bunch of Disagree, and Troll, and Flamebait mods. [soylentnews.org]
I'm thinking that that is because you are a nitwit.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by zugedneb on Friday October 07 2016, @09:28PM
wtf, can't u read?
the op said he would trust the yakuza more, tha measn he wants other owners.
the people say the kings and and presidents are shit, they want other owners, and guess who these other owners are...
so wtf would happen if you would answer my question instead of deliberately not understanding what is written?
old saying: "a troll is a window into the soul of humanity" + also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ajax
(Score: 1) by nobu_the_bard on Friday October 07 2016, @07:08PM
My understanding is: the Yakuza basically were the police before they had police. The individual groups kept a lot of their code from those days when they were told to disband, and switched to operating illegally. I guess the high value of loyalty and tradition in their culture was probably a factor.