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.
Armstrong claims that "the police are now taking more assets than the
criminals," but this isn't exactly right: The FBI also tracks property
losses from larceny and theft, in addition to plain ol' burglary. If
you add up all the property stolen in 2014, from burglary, theft, motor
vehicle theft and other means, you arrive at roughly $12.3 billion,
according to the FBI. That's more than double the federal asset
forfeiture haul.
"Every country has the government it deserves" - Joseph
de Maistre
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