COP on the Hill: Stories from the week of April 26, 2024

IPI – Impress, Persuade, Inspire:

I had another great experience at the Grover Norq​uist center-right meeting this week..we had 4 young guests from the Munich area (very conservative).  We began auf Deutsch with  German defense spending​, then how they legalized cannabis last month (and how we waste time chasing God’s green plant in USA).. After a few minutes one of them noticed my name plate with the 3 flags.  Without warning he asked me a question in French.  He and I chatted for two minutes en francais..leaving the other 3 with mouths agape​ (it was a smooth, fluent transition).  Another asked about the buckle and a couple more minutes about riding ​the pony from GA to OR…I love that kind of stuff.

Those Germans will not soon forget the cowboy, nor his message.  Bonus:  these encounters are one reason I have had this invitation for 14 years now.

​the House was in recess this week.

This Week:

1 meeting: Grover Norquist

5183 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 14 this week

COP stats since inception: August 2009

400 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 00

467 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs,   …spoke to 0 this week

117 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 0 this week

101 Radio Interviews:  0 this week

245 interviews and reports in minor media … 0 this week –

34 major conferences attended – CPAC 2024, (3 UN drug conferences in Vienna, Austria),  LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week

Media:  Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, OAN, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribune, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters, Stern

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Policing For Profit AKA Civil Asset Forfeiture

Scope of the issue:  in this century the police are averaging 5 billion per year, 500 or 1000 dollars at a time.

Police and their unions fight changes tooth and nail.  It is a true slush fund for their departments.  Many prosecutors take 10% of all the seizures, so they fight change also

Bath Story:  From my own experience:  colleague stopped a guy for speeding; given consent to search the pickup; found $2200 in a bank bag; officer seized the cash and the truck; Prosecutor said you can have Half the Money today and your truck back, or wait 18 months ( and no truck) for the judge to hear the case…the barber who was en route to the bank with his weekly cash payment, took the deal..Legal Theft

TN…per un-rebutted investigation..in the 00s…. 91% of traffic stops with searches were made on I – 40 in the WB direction. Only 9% EB, where the cars carry the drugs between Memphis and Nashville.  TN law enforcement wanted the money, much more than stopping drugs.

Maine now joins Nebraska, New Mexico, and North Carolina as the fourth state that ended civil forfeiture and replaced it with criminal forfeiture.  All states retain criminal forfeiture.

At the federal level in 2024 –  U.S. Representatives Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) reintroduced the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act (FAIR Act), a comprehensive reform to our nation’s civil asset forfeiture laws,” the two lawmakers announced in March.

2024. “Gov Stitt of Oklahoma said….”We need to address civil asset forfeiture,” Stitt said. “It’s crazy to me that somebody can be pulled over and have their cash and truck taken for an alleged crime, get acquitted of that crime, but they still never get their property back.
2025. Gov. Ducey: “Arizonans can stand strong in combating organized crime and criminal activity, without sacrificing the rights guaranteed under our Constitution for law abiding citizens. He signed legislation to make it harder for the police to just seize/steal money.

Kansas will sign legislation this week to move from preponderance to ‘clear and convincing ‘ evidence.

34 states now require more than: ‘51% – clear & convincing evidence Versus—-Preponderance of the evidence…Utah, Az, Florida are strict…Ga, Alabama, Tennessee, OK are NOT.

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