A new report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania finds that Philadelphia law enforcement use civil asset forfeiture to confiscate millions annually in cash and property from citizens, many of whom are never convicted of any crime. For those who lose their money, cars, and even homes but don't undergo criminal trials, reclaiming their property requires Philadelphians to "wage complicated and time-consuming legal battles in civil court without the help of counsel or other safeguards."
About $2.2 million of the seized money goes to the Philadelphia district attorney's office, providing 7.3 percent of its budget. Not coincidentally, the same office supervises the asset forfeiture program.
While civil asset forfeiture was introduced as a way for police to take on high-rolling drug kingpins, the median seizure in Philly has a value of less than $200, and only 10 percent of seizures are worth more than $1,000. "The current system does not do a good job of distinguishing between drug dealers and the innocent people in the neighborhoods being destroyed by drug dealers," said Molly Tack-Hooper of the ACLU. In one particularly shocking case the report mentions, a woman's home was seized after police found a small quantity of drug paraphernalia belonging to her son in her house.
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