Colorado Joins Other States Reviewing Police Forfeitures
DENVER (AP) — Colorado may join other states in preventing law enforcement agencies from taking someone's property through the asset forfeiture process.
A bill up for its first vote Wednesday would allow asset forfeiture to take place only after a criminal conviction.
Many states have imposed stricter standards before police are allowed to seize assets without a conviction. Critics complain that law enforcement sometimes uses the maneuver to take property and money from people who aren't charged with crimes, forcing them to a lengthy legal process to get their assets back.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced sweeping changes last month to the federal civil asset forfeiture program.
A fiscal analysis prepared for Colorado lawmakers says that state forfeitures are "infrequent."
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