Feds Stole More than Burglars Last Year

In Obama’s America, police take more than burglars do:

US police seized $4.5 billion through civil asset forfeiture (through which police can take money and valuables away from citizens without charging anyone with any crimes) in 2014; in the same period, the FBI estimates that burglars accounted for $3.9B in property losses.

Civil forfeiture rose by 19.4% per year between 1989 and 2009. It grew by 52.8% in 2010.

The Washington Post’s Christopher Ingraham parses out the numbers in this analysis — they’re not quite as bad as they seem (some civil forfeiture comes from assets seized from actual crooks, e.g. Bernie Madoff), but they’re nearly that bad.

Historically, legalized theft has always proven more lucrative and remunerative than the other kind, and otherwise-stodgy governments are creative and fast-moving in coming up with new ways to steal.