"Cops are still taking more stuff from people than burglars do."

As the guy who originally made this chart I periodically get asked to update these numbers, which only go through 2014. So it brings me no pleasure to report the following: Cops are still taking more stuff from people than burglars do https://thewhyaxis.substack.com/p/cops-still-take-more-stuff-from-people

Economic Policy

Law enforcement took more stuff from people than burglars did last year



By Christopher Ingraham
November 23, 2015

Here's an interesting factoid about contemporary policing: In 2014, for the first time ever, law enforcement officers took more property from American citizens than burglars did. Martin Armstrong pointed this out at his blog, Armstrong Economics, last week.

Officers can take cash and property from people without convicting or even charging them with a crime — yes, really! — through the highly controversial practice known as civil asset forfeiture. Last year, according to the Institute for Justice, the Treasury and Justice departments deposited more than $5 billion into their respective asset forfeiture funds. That same year, the FBI reports that burglary losses topped out at $3.5 billion.

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By Christopher Ingraham
Christopher Ingraham was a reporter on The Post’s business desk from 2014 to 2021. He currently writes the Why Axis, a newsletter about the data shaping and informing our lives. Twitter https://twitter.com/_cingraham