The latest sign of a growing conservative-liberal alliance on justice reform: a new bipartisan 501(c)(4) organization, “Fix Forfeiture,” launched Tuesday, the Huffington Post reports.
The organization will target the issue of civil asset forfeiture—the practice by which law enforcement can seize cash and valuables without ever charging its owners with a crime. They need merely “suspect” someone’s property was involved in a crime, and may treat what they seize “guilty” until proven innocent. In many cases, they can also keep the profits.
Fix Forfeiture is a coalition of organizations from different ideological camps, including the liberal-leaning American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for American Progress and conservative Americans for Tax Reform and FreedomWorks.
According to the Huffington Post, its task will be to “coordinate these varying voices” in opposition to unjust seizures.
Fix Forfeiture will first focus on reforms in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. In a press release provided to HuffPo, the organization outlined its goals:
Addressing conflicts of interest created when the government agency responsible for an asset forfeiture retains those assets.
Adding due process protections for the individual involved in an asset forfeiture.
Establishing reporting requirements for government agencies that seize property.
Exempting certain property from civil asset forfeiture laws that would create undue hardships for the property owner, such as a homestead or a vehicle.
Numerous recent news reports, including a Washington Post investigative series, have exposed the ugly consequences of civil asset forfeiture and inspired efforts towards reform. Earlier this year, for example, New Mexico passed legislation to ban seizures without a conviction.
