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HAB911

(8,811 posts)
Sat Jul 22, 2017, 09:34 AM Jul 2017

City Council To Force NYPD To Account For The Millions They Seize From Innocent NYers

Every year the NYPD seizes millions of dollars in assets from innocent New Yorkers, who often have to fight a dizzying bureaucracy to get their property back. But today the City Council is poised to pass legislation that would make the practice vastly more transparent.

The bill, which is expected to pass this afternoon, will require the NYPD to release annual reports on how much they seize from New Yorkers during stops and arrests and through the use of civil forfeiture, and account for what happens to the assets after they’re in custody.

"This first-of-its-kind transparency bill will shed light on the reasons why the NYPD has seized someone's property, whether revenue is generated from property seizure, and if an individual has been able to get their property back," said Bronx Councilman Ritchie Torres, the bill's primary sponsor. "The legislation will help ensure that the civil forfeiture process is used legitimately.”

(Update: The bill passed 46-0, with five members absent, according to Torres' office.)

http://gothamist.com/2017/07/20/nypd_civil_forfeiture_levine.php

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