Mar 2, 2019
Minnesota law allows for local police and county sheriffs to seize property from an owner if it was used in a crime, or even allegedly used in a crime. Vehicles are a huge target, but so are cash, homes, firearms, computers, and other private property. This is before convicting anyone of a crime. People that have been acquitted of said crimes still have trouble obtaining their property and some never see it again at all. We take a look at Minnesota law allowing this practice, the abuses of it, and why that is a huge problem. Law enforcement agents netted $30 million from 2003-2010 from proceeds of the sale of these items. These funds go into city and county coffers, and are shown as revenue on their budgets. This practice has drawn down a lot of criticism, but seems to continue, largely unchecked. The Metro Gang Strikeforce has engaged a ton of this behavior including allegations that property seized was kept by offices for personal use. What do we do to fix this problem? We know that government doesn't want to give up any revenue, no matter how it is obtained. Look at the force they use to obtain taxes in all kinds manner you already disagree with. It's important to stand in defense of all the good law enforcement officers that protect us, but when the laws are abusive in nature, there needs to be a way to stand up and get them changed without fear of repercussion. Spread this far and wide. Let's get our lawmakers in St. Paul to change the law! ...Also we take a look at the current presidential field, and boy, are we in trouble.
Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!
Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify, or go out to the PodBabble Podcast Network!