Senators ask Jeff Sessions to curb cops' authority to confiscate money

A bipartisan group of senators have asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to curb the authority of police officers to confiscate money from people who haven’t committed crimes.

The six senators, including one of Sessions’ closest allies in recent years, want him to change Justice Department policy on civil asset forfeiture, a practice designed to crack down on crime syndicates by allowing police to seize money that they suspect is linked to criminal activity. That authority is controversial because law enforcement can seize the money even if no one is charged with a crime, so it’s possible for innocent people to lose their property.