During the recession, federal and local law enforcement agencies, from small-town cops to the Justice and Treasury Departments, exponentially increased their use of civil asset forfeitures, according to a 2015 study.
"The combination of low procedural hurdles, high profit incentive, and meager accountability or oversight created a rich environment for forfeiture activities to flourish," said co-author Dick Carpenter.
The study graded each state's forfeiture laws through a civil liberties lens; the average was a D. (The federal government earned a D-.)
