Results 1 to 20 of 30

Comparing Michigan’s Largest Counties on Civil Asset Forfeiture

Oakland and Wayne counties are worlds apart when it comes to protecting property rights

… information related to civil asset forfeiture. Police and prosecutors … property forfeited occurred in Wayne County. This is likely because the county has a system set up to seize … county takes ownership. Wayne County is the largest county in … data varies greatly from Wayne County’s. The Oakland County sheriff’s …

Wayne County Took Cars From 380 People Never Charged With A Crime

2017 was ‘civil asset forfeiture on steroids’ in Detroit

Nearly 400 people in Wayne County who were never charged with … procedure called civil asset forfeiture, according to responses … who were never charged, Wayne County exceeded the rest of the counties combined. Altogether, there … this happened 380 times in Wayne County. A state law passed in …

Wayne County Doubling Down On Forfeiture As Legislature Moves To Reform It

County’s ‘Operation Push-Off’ seized 2,600 vehicles, collected $1.2 million from owners, many never charged

… individuals, Michigan’s largest county appears to be ramping up the … In an ongoing crackdown, Wayne County has seized more than 2,600 … revenue from civil asset forfeiture over the past two years. … lost their vehicles to Wayne County without being charged, … communications for the Wayne County prosecutor. The county …

Court: OK For Wayne County To Seize Man’s Car For 3 Years

Legislators considering changes to state asset forfeiture law

… according to court documents, Wayne County never filed the paperwork … to challenge the property forfeiture, Wayne County held the car for more than … court decision upheld Wayne County’s actions. Police officers … filed a lawsuit against the county for failing to provide him …

Wayne County Took Thousands of Vehicles Without Filing Criminal Charges

Federal lawsuit filed against ‘unconstitutional’ civil asset forfeitures

… liberties nonprofit, are suing Wayne County in federal court, saying … process called civil asset forfeiture. Under civil asset forfeiture, … According to the lawsuit, the county regularly takes ownership … forfeiture practices of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and … According to the lawsuit, Wayne County Sheriff’s deputies seized …

Forfeiture Reform, Legal Pot Could Cost Wayne County’s Sting $500k+ Annually

‘They don’t even care about the criminal charges,’ says defense attorney

In 2017, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office set up a program … Push-Off. In 2017 and 2018, Wayne County seized more than 2,600 … practice called civil asset forfeiture, through which police and … effect on Aug. 7. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office didn’t …

Federal court severely curtails civil asset forfeiture in Michigan

How lawmakers should respond

Wayne County, which includes the city of Detroit, has long run … precedent may soon be set. Wayne County law enforcement officers … having it forfeited to the county government. The county can … People can challenge a forfeiture in court, but it is expensive … studying to become a nurse at Wayne County Community College. She …

Michigan Must Close Asset Forfeiture Loophole

Abuse in Highland Park illustrates need for reform

… charged with a crime, but Wayne County says nothing has been acted … crime. Under civil asset forfeiture laws, police can legally … reform Michigan’s civil asset forfeiture laws. This work helped pass … criminal conviction prior to forfeiture, in most cases. The bill … remaining in Michigan’s forfeiture law. The first problem …

No Charge For Vehicle Seizure Data Over Three Years, But Wayne County Wants $19k This Time

… 2017, officials of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office stopped … years. In 2017 and 2018, Wayne County seized more than 2,600 … formally forfeited to the county by courts. The Mackinac Center … the vehicle seizures and forfeitures. Last year, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office responded …

State Supreme Court limits asset forfeiture

Rules in favor of woman and a 2006 Saturn Ion

… charged with any crime, Wayne County then forfeited (took ownership) … that has fought civil asset forfeiture for decades, represented … Legislative changes have limited forfeiture, and this court decision … that Michigan law says a forfeiture can only be effectuated … least as it relates to drug forfeitures, must meet that standard. …

Michigan Must Close Asset Forfeiture Loophole

Abuse in Highland Park illustrates need for reform

… charged with a crime, but Wayne County says nothing has been acted … crime. Under civil asset forfeiture laws, police can legally … reform Michigan’s civil asset forfeiture laws. This work helped pass … criminal conviction prior to forfeiture, in most cases. The bill … remaining in Michigan’s forfeiture law. The first problem …

Law Enforcement Calls for Forfeiture Reform

… process known as civil asset forfeiture. Police can take cash, cars … witnessed firsthand the abuse of forfeiture, we urge legislators to … MSP, he taught civil asset forfeiture procedure to all state police … officer and supervisor for Wayne County’s “Operation Push-Off,” … intention behind civil asset forfeiture was to seize key assets …

Supreme Court: Constitution’s ‘Excessive Fines’ Clause Can Apply to Civil Asset Forfeiture

Will this have an effect in Michigan?

… in cases of civil asset forfeiture. The background of the … applies to civil in rem forfeitures. We disagree.” Michigan … activity. The state’s largest county, Wayne County, pulls people over in areas … police and prosecutors employ forfeiture to take someone’s property …

Wayne Prosecutor Endorsed By Attorney General Nessel Seized Poor Peoples' Cars

Took more than 2,600 cars over two years in aggressive sting operation

… endorsed the reelection of Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. … with the winner to appear on county ballots in the Nov. 3, 2020, … crime. In 2017 and 2018, Wayne County seized more than 2,600 … their vehicle seized in Wayne County, they have three options. … pay $900 or contest the forfeiture, so the county took the …

Democratic Attorney General Candidates Favor Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform

Bipartisan support for protecting property rights and due process

… property through civil asset forfeiture. According to documents … Legislature reform civil asset forfeiture and require a criminal conviction … previously worked in the Wayne County prosecutor’s office, which processes a lot of forfeitures every year. Here’s an excerpt … will not use civil asset forfeiture. But, if someone is found …

Forfeiture Laws Take Aim at Major Drug Dealers But Hit Poor Most Often

New reforms would help

… property through civil asset forfeiture. Some police and prosecutors … distorted picture of how forfeiture is actually used in Michigan. … objected to a conviction-before-forfeiture requirement. He argued that … The bills actually allow forfeiture to proceed under current … subjective standard. In Wayne County, this means seizing the …

Michigan still has a way to go in reforming civil asset forfeiture, new report shows

Citizens lost property to law enforcement even without being charged with a crime

… exploiting laws on civil asset forfeiture. Forfeiture is a process by which the … people. Improvements in forfeiture laws in recent years have … of a crime. About 75% of forfeiture cases in Michigan are processed … without a court’s scrutiny. Wayne County recently received a rebuke …

Michigan Now Requires You to Be Guilty Before Losing Your Property — This is How We Got Here

… unity. The issue? Civil asset forfeiture. With a political split … most cases of civil asset forfeiture. The bills were passed nearly unanimously. Civil forfeiture is the process of transferring … Vaughn, an officer with Wayne County Sheriff’s Morality Unit … Thomas Williams of St. Joseph County said he spent 10 hours in …

One solution for three remaining problems with current forfeiture laws

… reforms made to Michigan’s forfeiture laws have led to fewer cases … problem with Michigan’s forfeiture laws is that too many cases … processed through the civil forfeiture system. Legal rules and deadlines used in civil forfeitures create many hoops people … instrumental to the crime. In Wayne County, for instance, law enforcement …

Endnotes

1 “Civil Forfeiture Reforms on the State Level” (Institute for … https://perma.cc/7D6P-AHUZ. 11 “Michigan Forfeiture” (Institute for Justice, … Hunter and Doug Guthrie, “Wayne Co. profits from police property … Criminal Activity Charged, Wayne County” (Michigan House Judiciary … 333.7523(1). 27 Tyler Arnold, “Wayne County Doubling Down On Forfeiture …