Wendy McElroy writes here about one of the most blatant injustices perpetrated these days, namely civil asset forfeiture cases, where “law enforcement” officials take private property on the grounds that the owner was somehow connected with crime that occurred there. In her lead case (which was covered in today’s WSJ), a motel owner faces seizure of his property because a guest did a drug deal on the premises. The Institute for Justice is fighting for the motel owner.
It is time to get rid of statutes that give police and prosecutors a strong incentive to pad their budgets by stealing property from people who have committed no crime.
