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Police Or Pirates? Reforming Washington's Civil Asset Forfeiture System, Jasmin Chigbrow
Police Or Pirates? Reforming Washington's Civil Asset Forfeiture System, Jasmin Chigbrow
Washington Law Review
Civil asset forfeiture laws permit police officers to seize property they suspect is connected to criminal activity and sell or retain the property for the police department’s use. In many states, including Washington, civil forfeiture occurs independent of any criminal case—many property owners are never charged with the offense police allege occurred. Because the government is not required to file criminal charges, property owners facing civil forfeiture lack the constitutional safeguards normally guaranteed to defendants in the criminal justice system: the right to an attorney, the presumption of innocence, the government’s burden to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, …