User Tag List

+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread: The Cash Cops of Tenaha

  1. #1
    Points: 21,919, Level: 35
    Level completed: 98%, Points required for next Level: 31
    Overall activity: 0.1%
    Achievements:
    SocialTagger Second Class10000 Experience PointsVeteran
    Helena's Avatar Senior Member
    Karma
    2323
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Posts
    3,128
    Points
    21,919
    Level
    35
    Thanks Given
    3,286
    Thanked 2,314x in 1,399 Posts
    Mentioned
    39 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    The Cash Cops of Tenaha

    https://www.counterpunch.org/2009/10...ops-of-tenaha/

    ...
    Lawyers for the police and D.A.’s office also wanted plaintiffs to turn over bank records, income tax returns, and employment records; in an apparent attempt to revisit the “money laundering” charges that were never filed in the first place. It was a scary request supported by scary argumentation: “In other words,” argued lawyers for the Shelby County law enforcement establishment in their federal filings, “even if the initial traffic stop lacked probable cause, the forfeiture action could proceed and the State could still meet its civil case burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence and the property could still be forfeited.”
    The authority the cops were seeking was chilling. They could stop people for no reason, take their cash, spend it, meanwhile filing no charges of wrongdoing. All the while, the authorities of East Texas or wherever could count on a federal court order that would allow them to go after the banking, tax, and employment records of their innocent victims if they tried to get their money back. Judge Ward denied those parts of discovery.
    The discovery motions also revealed that collection accounts were not always well kept. One front-line collector argued that he kept bulk numbers only and could not provide evidence of how much money was taken on any single occasion. To get your money back from these actors, they may demand that you prove it’s not contraband and then prove how much they took. But these East Texas law enforcers are not finished grasping at bizarre license to ply their trade as the cash cops of Highway 59. D.A. Russell now seeks to use the forfeiture funds to pay for her defense. In early October the ACLU filed a brief with the Texas Attorney General’s Office to prevent the forfeiture funds from being spent to defend alleged abuse of forfeiture powers.
    ... MORE https://www.counterpunch.org/2009/10...ops-of-tenaha/

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to Helena For This Useful Post:

    Ethereal (12-11-2018)

  3. #2
    Points: 222,626, Level: 100
    Level completed: 0%, Points required for next Level: 0
    Overall activity: 32.0%
    Achievements:
    Social50000 Experience PointsVeteranYour first Group
    Ethereal's Avatar Senior Member
    Karma
    468804
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Posts
    67,628
    Points
    222,626
    Level
    100
    Thanks Given
    14,219
    Thanked 41,536x in 26,005 Posts
    Mentioned
    1169 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Civil asset forfeiture is nothing short of legalized thievery and extortion by police officers.
    Power always thinks it has a great soul, and vast views, beyond the comprehension of the weak. And that it is doing God service when it is violating all His laws.
    --John Adams

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Ethereal For This Useful Post:

    Admiral Ackbar (12-11-2018)

+ Reply to Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts