Civil asset forfeiture has become big for many police departments around the country in the last couple of decades. It's also become a big source of corruption. For many of those departments they have become addicted to the income it can bring in to an "underfunded" department. So they go out looking for it.
When they don't find it, some innocent is often victimized and their property stolen. I have heard stories of small businessmen losing large sums of cash etc, due to mere traffic stops (another reason not not allow a search of your so called private vehicle). There is often no due process for your property, and getting it returned is often impossible or very expensive. They don't even have to charge you with a crime, let alone a conviction, they decide they want to seize it, and its so. All they have to do is "suspect" you may be using it, or obtained it using illegal means.
Congressman Tim Walberg of Michigan would like to roll it back some. Frankly it may be that the closing the barn door after the pigs have escaped at this point.
http://dailysignal.com/2014/07/31/legislation-introduced-curb-civil-forfeitures-perverse-incentivesForfeiture is like traffic tickets as far as I am concerned. Making them a item to add to a budget is only asking for trouble. It breeds corruption.
