Na4now

So all this coke he was "transporting" fit in a tail light? wtf? Sounds like they just wanted to steal his car. Probably after impounding it, found out it was paid for,...then got the idea to confiscate it.

I was stopped just two days ago (63 in a 65 mph zone, fully legal car, following all the rules, ect.), and the leo was looking for cash. I won't go into details, but he violated several of my rights, right off the bat. End result was me driving off with no tickets, or anything. Just left me really pissed off.

I know for a FACT that Houston pd takes large sums of money during traffic stops, sends them on their way, and pockets the bread. I went out with one, one weekend, and he told me all kinds of stuff you wouldn't believe.

Btw, I have family in law enforcement, and there are some really good cops out there. We need them around. But there's a bunch of bad eggs too.

Swaie

That's why I ride with a mounted gopro camera...and without COKAHINA!!!

Maligator

"usually" if too much is owed on the vehicle, we wont seize it. The lien has to be mostly paid off, or enough that were purchasing the vehicle would justify selling it to purchase more suitable police cars like the crown vic, tahoe or charger..........for this smaller pd that everyone is getting their panties tied up about, the vet was probably paid off for them to justify a seizing it.

And for everyone else crying, calm down. A dope head lost his wheels and the police are parading it to show they won. The vehicle will be used for a short time, then auctioned off and the proceeds have to be used for law enforcement equipment, training and hiring; almost all states have stipulations on how asset forfeiture funds are spent.

Maligator

ya, im sure thats exactly how it happened. Lets devise a plan to steal someone's zr1, then steal it, then go to the media and parade around with the illegally possessed vehicle..........outstanding hypothesis

Steve Snake Driver

Maligator- ********. The whole police confiscation thing is out of hand. I guess that whole idea about unreasonable punishment and equality before the law is just something our betters need not be concerned about. If the guy was transporting drugs, and is CONVICTED, then fine him sufficiently within the law so that he has to sell the car himself. Giving this 'right' to the police is a license to steal. Would the police in the case mentioned have been so eager to seize the vehicle if it was a 1972 Pinto? Would the punishment have been equal?

"The Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the right of police to confiscate vehicles from owners who have done nothing wrong. The decision narrowed the applicability of an "innocent owner" defense in cases where a vehicle is jointly owned. The high court considered the case of David and Jean Margaret Laase whose then-brand new 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe was confiscated in 2006.

Although David Laase was the Tahoe's primary driver, Jean Laase was driving the SUV alone on May 17, 2007 when she was pulled over and accused of drunk driving. Because Laase refused to submit to a breath test, the $40,000 vehicle was permanently confiscated as punishment for "second-degree criminal test refusal." $40K for refusing to incriminate herself? I don't have any sympathy for drunk drivers, but that is outrageous.

One of many cases. Then there is the guy who had ~ $20K cash intended for buying a car seized during a stop because '...it might have been drug money.' The poor guy had a hell of time getting his money back from the police department involved compounded by being out of state. Yeah, the response will be I'm cherry-picking cases...but then one is too many.

Maligator

im not talking about a pinto, a tahoe or a fking golf cart, im talking about this ZR1. What part of cocaine being transported in it didnt you understand???? Im sure you understood the part of where, if somehow, the driver and his illegal activities directly affected your life, you would then give a sht and be all pro-seizure.........whatever, agree with it or not, haters are going to hate.......

wrong, its called implied consent, not self incrimination. Dont like the DUI laws? Real simple DONT GET A LICENSE AND DRIVE. You dont have a right to refuse a breath test, you signed the bottom of your license, you agreed to the laws YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS enacted, one of them is submitting to a breath test when probable cause exists for arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol. You know who doesn't submit to a breath test? Guilty drunk people............

Steve Snake Driver

Flip your scab back since I seem to have gotten right under your skin. Actually, it does affect my life in the taxes I pay. And you avoid the equality before the law comment.
Oh, so very nice of you to not only be the officer, but also judge and jury!...

Maligator

under my skin? doubtful..............but please continue, you are very amusing............

but while checking my scab, I noticed that your string is hanging out..................

4GS7

Steve, Maligator is mostly right about the law. Everything he's said is based in sound legal theory. You may not like it, but take that up with your local legislator. LEOs enforce the laws as written, decided, or informed to the best of their knowledge by their DA. They DON'T create them.

Swaie

Correct LEO's just enforce the laws given...are they enforced equally all the time? NO, and this is where the problem occurs...that pinto probably wouldn't have been siezed, but you damn right this ZR1 will be!!! The woman that refused a breathalyzer, shouldn't have had her car confiscated, but if it's legal to take it it's probably going to happen. That's not the LEO's fault, even tho he probably could have let her keep it...so it's really not the LEO's fault that the law exists and he CHOSE to in force the portion of the law. I'm sure had he explained the consequences of her actions she woulda just took the DWI.

Mr. Gizmo

All this legal rhetoric Coming from someone "if I understand correctly" that lives in the state of Illinois and possibly works as a government employee maybe in law enforcement -- widely theorized to be one of the most corrupt if not most corrupt State in our nation.

almost every government employee, official or lobbyist looking for an angle to tax or jam anyone including law abiding people. Everyone in Illinois has their hand out asking for something.

Thank You Mr. Rob Blagojevich & maybe its a possibility one of these days Maligator will join you in your cell.

NytmereZ

Many of today's police are corrupt, don't Be surprised, if this was just a guy going 30mph above the speed limit .

Cops are instructed to seize cars like this, is all about money.

If this was indeed a guy selling drugs than good for the police, just remember some police(seems like more in today's age) simply think they can do anything.

There was a guy out in Il a few years back that made the paper, as he was speeding in his brand new dodge viper early in the morning, he was doing something like 80 in a 45.

Cops seized his car, put it in an auction gone.


A couple years ago I was getting service at dodge for my viper, when I dropped off the car I saw this brand new viper engine out with LE plates on it.

I asked wait was the deal with that car, guys told me the cop who owned the car bragged about how he had the car seized than bought it at the auction, for half value.

The people at the dealership didn't like him very much, as the car was in there for it's second blown engine, had 3 tranny failures, they said he beats the living **** out of the car(obviously)

I looked at the car tires were bald smelled like smoke, it just put a bad taste in my mouth.

Take a mans car for speeding , then acquire it yourself and do much worse.

When I see stuff like thIs it makes me wonder, how they really got it, I would think a drug dealer who sells enough drugs to be driving a $100,000+ car wouldn't want to draw attention .

Drug dealers belong in jail, but police are getting arrogant these days, sell the car in a private auction, and give the money to a good charity, or a program to keep kids off drugs

This is just a spectical that may not even be true, the news is not bible, it's a great media of reporters , who are run by the powers above to report story's to scare the public .

We are losing are civil rights every day it's sickens me


Please don't think I'm bashing LE, my father( who was gunned down when I was 3) was Chicago police, as well *** all my uncles and my grandfather.

It's just different now, I know good retired police who are also sickened by all these 20 year old police officers , who join with a chip on their shoulder.

Steve Snake Driver

Once all those drug dealers are back to driving Vega's and clapped out Pinto's, maybe it might be worthwhile to start seizing speeder's cars...ya' know they are such scofflaws and dangers to society...and what law-abiding citizen REALLY needs 638 hp?

I guess my bottom line question is: When did law enforcement become a profit-driven enterprise? And my second question would be if YOU vote for the a-holes that sanction this, then do you consider yourself part of the problem?

Swale - If I understand it correctly, the person making the decisions is the local district attorney, not the LE in the patrol car...and seeing maligator's comments, that's a small comfort.

Ah...our militarized police - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48018051.../#.T-8YzpKVCy9 So maligator, the cops get to do a victory dance in the media over the seized ZR1, are they going to fire the supervisors who authorized this? You know...like a losing coach.

I'm also not comforted by the idea of every police department getting access to UAS technology in the near future...you wife/daughter sunbathing will probably be real popular video within the police department.

maligator, enjoy your string watching...no doubt while training your dog to alert on a subtle signal from you...makes seizing stuff so much easier.

Maligator

right, im going to make some ******** arrest and unlawfully seize a car because in some messed up way, it will personally benefit me. Not to have a ***** whipping out contest, but do you know how I afforded a near new Z06 at the age of 33? Keeping my nose clean and doing the right thing and working my **** off, not some Illinois political game like pocketing bond money. Your comparison of the state of illinois and a law enforcement officer is worse than the chicken and the egg theory............

Well Steve that really depends if its your car my man! Ya, I give him a nice hand signal off the viewing range of my camera and say he alerted. That way I can search your car; Stevie snake driver and his Johnny Cochran legal theories has to have some cash in the center console I cant pocket. Hell, when all that fun illegal stuff is over, I get to drive your ZR1 in uniform to the local strip club and load it up with 5 strippers resembling some type of Chinese clown car and watch the girls throw the cash we took from your center console out the window. Then, and only then, we will use the car for parades and put stickers on it that it was seized from a drug dealer/corvette forum **** and act like we are all legit, honest, hard working cops..............

lets just agree to disagree; you dont like cops and that is perfectly fine with me, because in no way do you effect my income and me coming home to my family and enjoying my corvette. You make 1% assumptions that you believe 99% of law enforcement follow. I will continue to do the right thing, work hard, arrest those who indeed need to be arrested and show good judgement, discretion and fairness. The words, actions and viewpoints of people like you will never cause me to lose my integrity in ANY situation causing me to lose my job and perform and illegal action. I sleep easy every-night buddy, haven't slipped up one bit in 13 years, and my next 13 will be just as spotless............later...........

Maligator

oh, and to educate you, you cannot make a dog "alert" on a car. Do a little more research before barking up that tree. The alert is a behavior change when coming into contact with a narcotic odor in which the dog has been trained to detect. Those physical changes that are apparent in the dog when this happens, you cannot "prompt" or command. Were you talking about final response Steve? You seem to know everything, maybe you were just off your game this morning when you posted more of your conspiracy theories................

Mr. Gizmo

And Mr. Rob Blagojevich exhibited similar exuberance and zeal for his job too.

Maligator

thats awesome, I cant tell you how often I want to do that to people...........

Mr. Gizmo

don't slip up and get caught -- Mr. Blagojevich and his husband will be waiting for you in their cell.

jmc5

I don't care for any of the property seizure laws.

If the guy is a criminal, he will be convicted in court, and the court may impose a financial fine to recover money that was illegally earned.

The property seizure laws are simply enticement for bad officers to do their worst, and temptation to drag good officers into the muck.

Mr. Gizmo