Civil forfeiture allows the police to take the property of Americans based solely on a suspicion of guilt. There have been numerous instances in which hardworking Americans lost their houses only because one member of their family happened to possess drugs. In other cases, innocent Americans lost their cars and cash only because the police suspected them of trying to commit a crime. Even the IRS can take over bank accounts suspected of being used for money laundering purposes only because the owner inadvertently "structured" his/her deposits. Civil forfeiture endangers the property of innocent Americans and promotes corruption. The authorities should not have the right to take away the property of Americans who were not found guilty in a court of law.
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