"Cops are still taking more stuff from people than burglars do." [View all]
David Weigel Retweeted
From 2015:
Economic Policy
Law enforcement took more stuff from people than burglars did last year
By Christopher Ingraham
November 23, 2015
Here's an interesting factoid about contemporary policing: In 2014, for the first time ever, law enforcement officers took more property from American citizens than burglars did. Martin Armstrong
pointed this out at his blog, Armstrong Economics, last week.
Officers can take cash and property from people without convicting or even charging them with a crime yes, really! through the highly controversial practice known as
civil asset forfeiture. Last year,
according to the Institute for Justice, the Treasury and Justice departments deposited more than $5 billion into their respective asset forfeiture funds. That same year, the FBI reports that burglary losses topped out at $3.5 billion.
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By Christopher Ingraham
Christopher Ingraham was a reporter on The Posts business desk from 2014 to 2021. He currently writes the Why Axis, a newsletter about the data shaping and informing our lives. Twitter
https://twitter.com/_cingraham