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posted by cmn32480 on Monday April 13 2015, @04:21AM   Printer-friendly
from the gimme-back-my-stuff dept.

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.

 
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  • (Score: 2) by el_oscuro on Monday April 13 2015, @09:36PM

    by el_oscuro (1711) on Monday April 13 2015, @09:36PM (#170013)

    I've just finished sending emails to every representative I have above the county level.

    Old fashioned hand written letters are a lot more effective than email. If you are going to write your representative, that is how I would do it.

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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday April 14 2015, @02:33AM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday April 14 2015, @02:33AM (#170163) Journal

    I agree, and I disagree with you.

    Yes, a competently written physical paper letter impresses me more than an email does. And, there are still a lot of people in this world who view things the same as I do.

    On the other hand, more and more of government business is done electronically. More and more people are accustomed to electronic transactions. Each of my representatives provides a means to contact them electronically, and maintains a staff dedicated to handling electronic letters. Those electronic communications seem to be preferred, because they are so easy to quantify and qualify, and enter into databases.

    Electronic communications are also much FASTER! I've already received one reply, from Tom Cotton, which appears to be a well thought out reply. I've also received automatic responses from three other reps, so I KNOW that they've received my emails. The rest of the reps have not responded in any manner yet, but I am certain that my emails have been tabulated, and entered into their databases.

    We simply don't live in the same world into which we were born. It's the 21st century now!

    • (Score: 2) by davester666 on Tuesday April 14 2015, @08:45AM

      by davester666 (155) on Tuesday April 14 2015, @08:45AM (#170275)

      They are also easier to respond to in a way that makes it seem as though you are important, but then the original email is deleted.

      • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday April 14 2015, @01:50PM

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday April 14 2015, @01:50PM (#170385) Journal

        Huh, wut? Never deleted, my friend. All those letters are archived in Utah, at the new NSA facility. Archived against the day that some secret agency of the US government (or one of the five eyes) decides that they must make a case against you. THEN all of those archives are gone over with a fine toothed comb, searching for some freudian slip, anything to nail you with. You may be an unimportant nobody today, but someday, you may very well cross someone important, and Uncle will remember EVERYTHING that you've had to say!!