Hickenlooper Signs Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill

[DFW]

2. It's was past due that legalized official theft was banned and even punished

We had a town in eastern Texas that was nationally known for it's wannabe country singer-mayor and sherriff getting rich by seizing the cash of every unwitting victim that drive through their town and got their cash seized for any made-up reason they had in mind.

Even as far back as 1970, I was with some friends driving through Alabama and we got caught in a speed trap. If you're not familiar with them, in the South, along State Highways, towns they passed through could still impose local speed limits. They'd post a sign on a 50mph limit street saying "Speed Zone Ahead," and then before you could slow down enough, it suddenly said "Speed Limit 15 MPH." They had their local cops stationed right behind the sign, and any out-of-state car would be stopped for speeding. When we got caught in one, we asked how much the fine was. The cop asked "how much y'all got on you?" That's how much the fine was. Jimmy Carter first achieved some national prominence as governor of Georgia for trying to eliminate the practice in his state.

I realize that it has gotten to the point where many municipalities shore up their budgets with this practice, but it's still outright banditry, and one of the few instances I would justify driving around with a firearm. A guy with a gun trying to rob you is an armed robber. It makes no difference if he is wearing a hoodie or a uniform.