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AlterNet reports New Mexico Ends "Policing for Profit"
In a historic move, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez (R) [on April 10] signed into law a bill that will end civil asset forfeiture by law enforcement in the state, a practice widely known as "policing for profit." The measure is House Bill 560
Under civil asset forfeiture, police and prosecutors can seize someone's property without ever charging them with a crime, let alone convicting them. Police can then funnel many of those assets, including cash seizures, back to their own departments, creating a vicious cycle of more profit-driven law enforcement providing more resources to law enforcement for more profit-driven law enforcement.
"This is a good day for the Bill of Rights," said [American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico] Executive Director Peter Simonson. "For years, police could seize people's cash, cars, and houses without even accusing anyone of a crime. Today, we have ended this unfair practice in New Mexico and replaced it with a model that is just and constitutional."
The practice of asset forfeiture has been coming under increasing scrutiny and criticism in recent years as cases of abuse become more widely known. The Obama administration Justice Department has in the past few months taken steps to address asset forfeiture abuse at the federal level, and asset forfeiture reform bills have been introduced in a number of states this year. The governor of Wyoming vetoed one last month.
New Mexico is the first state where such a bill has passed, and it now has the strongest asset forfeiture protections in the county. The bill passed the legislature unanimously.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by cwix on Monday April 13 2015, @04:25PM
The court system rubber stamps whatever law enforcment/government wants.
Want to steal large sums of money from your population, thats ok!
Want to funnel large amount of money to politicians secretly, thats ok!
Want to kill unarmed people, some of them not even suspected of violence, thats ok!
Want to shoot peoples pets, even though you responded to the wrong house, that's ok!
Want to invade peoples privacy with open ended drag net warrants, thats ok!
Want to gerrymander political districts to ensure you get the best bang for your buck on getting your party to power, thats ok!
Want to ruin peoples lives over minor traffic violations, thats ok!
Checks and balances has failed. The court is no longer a bulwark protecting freedom. The judicial system has been filled with political patsies to ensure nothing interferes with personal profit for the elected representatives. If it can make them money or get them reelected then it will happen. No court will stop it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2015, @04:00AM
Further proof that capitalism is incompatible with democracy.