Feds distributed $8 million in seized money, property to Colorado law enforcement. Here’s where it went.
Local law enforcement agencies across Colorado received about $8 million in proceeds from property and money seizures over the past two years in a practice that police chiefs and sheriffs say could be curtailed by a new state law.
It’s money that’s at the center of the debate over the controversial measure Gov. John Hickenlooper signed Friday, which prescribes how local authorities in Colorado should handle money and assets seized during criminal investigations when working with federal agents. The controversy centers on mandates that steer law enforcement to use state protocols for the practice, known as civil asset forfeiture, vs. federal rules, which are seen as more lenient.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers and civil rights groups who backed the legislation say it’s needed to ensure Coloradans’ due-process protections and that the practice has better oversight.
But the measure — House Bill 1313 — was strongly opposed by law enforcement because of a provision prohibiting local agencies from receiving forfeiture proceeds from the federal government in cases where property and money seized is less than $50,000. Police chiefs and sheriffs say the law will cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars each year from federal agencies that were being used for crime fighting.
Read the full story at The Denver Post.
DENVER, CO – November 09: Denver Police investigate a shooting crime scene on Champa St. between and 16th and 17th Ave. in the Renaissance Hotel parking lot November 09, 2016. Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images.
DENVER, CO – November 09: Denver Police investigate a shooting crime scene on Champa St. between and 16th and 17th Ave. in the Renaissance Hotel parking lot November 09, 2016. Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images.