‘Your property is guilty until you prove it innocent"

[dcmfox]

In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, an aggressive brand of policing called “highway interdiction,” which involves authorities seizing money and property during traffic stops, has grown in popularity. Thousands of people not charged with crimes are left fighting legal battles to regain their money.

[Neoma]

1. So, I guess I'm gonna try to never travel with money.

[brewens]

2. I know a guy that back in the late 80's got busted for dealing coke. Fair and square really.

He even kind of made a backhanded bribe officer to one of the cops who let that remark go.

Then these state drug enforcement guys raided his house and confiscated all of his valuable stuff. That was for tax evasion because he hadn't complied with the phony drug tax law where you were supposed to buy these stamps to put on all of your shit. Like anyone was ever going to do that! LOL

He lawyered up and was able to force a pretty good deal, relatively speaking, because they never gave him a chance to pay the tax. Having determined what he owed, they could have done so and he could have paid it, rather than have them haul off his car, truck, appliances and everything. At that time he already had a going construction business. He never did any prison time at all for what was a pretty good chunk of coke.

I know all this because I was friends with his brother and my boss was neighbors with someone at the court. I also happened to get called for jury duty on that case. I was a slam dunk boot off the jury. The cop that got the bribe offer was also the quarterback I blocked for in high school. We never made it to jury selection. They cut the deal and cut us loose.

That dude is really a pretty good guy. He got into coke when it was so hot and got greedy. What is kind of funny is that his main buyers that I know of, were a little faction of our local rodeo committee and their buddies. When making the buy that got him busted he was actually bragging about how much money he was gonna make too.

Another thing that was funny is that his old school construction guy dad was about as red as they come. He would have said, before his kid got popped, "shoot all those drug dealers in the head!" I really don't think the kid needed any of his dads money to get him out of it but I bet he changed his tune real quick.

[yuiyoshida]

3. Gives new meaning to

Highway robbery. Any cop can steal your money...and if you want it back, pay a lawyer far more than what you lost. That's some kind of messed up.

[ctsnowman]

4. A few flakes.

Make sure you never by a used vehicle.

[SmittynMo]

5. Unbelievable

I was stopped in Key West a few years back for tinted windows on a car I had purchased a few years prior. I did not have the windows tinted myself. This was followed up by many many questions about my car, including the fact that my plates were not showing up on their computer. I had just put on new stickers a month prior, which meant the plates were indeed legal. Of course they wanted all the paperwork for the car (License, insurance, legal paperwork I was the owner), which I provided. Then the question came up about drugs, including the question about letting a dog sniff my car. I of course denied any drugs in the car. So I sat there, with a car he thought had illegal plates, and being questioned about drugs. And there was no reason to pull me over to begin with. Note: They love to use the tinted window line, whether or not the factory had installed the tinted glass.
They eventually let me go, but one has to question the motive for pulling over a person for no legal reason.

The cops in this country are out of control. Look at the news lately. And now this story. WOW. It's amazing what they can get by with. My question is why? And who put these laws or practices in place? Do they have nothing better to do than harass innocent people and take their money?

This is so wrong in so many ways!!! And law enforcement could give a shit about you. They want your money and possessions, legal, or not.