Lawmakers Call for End to Forfeiture Sharing Program

The Washington Post's Robert O'Harrow Jr. reports: "Leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary committees on Friday called on the Justice Department to end the sharing of civil seizure proceeds with local and state police, a change that with few exceptions would cut the flow of hundreds of million of dollars annually to departments in every state." The concern is that law enforcement is incentivized to keep assets because the program allows police to keep up to 80 percent of the proceeds, while federal agencies get 20 percent. In an investigation, the Washington Post found that more than $2.5 billion from cash seizures, conducted without search warrants and indictments, has been made since September 11, 2001.