civil asset forfeiture
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Federal judge finds no constitutional violation in requiring illegal pot growers to forfeit house
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Requiring an Aurora couple to forfeit their home to the government after using it to illegally grow marijuana does not violate the constitutional prohibition against excessive fines, a federal judge ruled last month. In 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice petitioned to take possession of a home in the 23000 block of East Wagontrail Avenue…
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Attempt to fix 2017 civil asset forfeiture bill moves forward
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An effort to complete a deal worked out by Gov. John Hickenlooper’s staff and opponents of a 2017 law reforming Colorado’s civil asset forfeiture statutes sailed through the state Senate Finance Committee Wednesday. The measure passed on a 5-0 vote despite losing one of its main sponsors. House Bill 1020 is intended to put in…
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Colorado police must serve and protect, not fine and collect
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Failure to display your dog’s vaccination tags will cost you $50 in Aspen. Excessive growth of weeds in your yard? $100 in Boulder. Failure to wear a seatbelt? $200 in Pueblo. If taxes are the price we pay for civilization, then what are fines and citations indicative of? I would argue that they are price…
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Letter: New Civil Asset Forfeiture law was needed
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Editor: I am sure many of us thank the Legislature and governor’s office for the new Civil Asset Forfeiture law. Though the majority of us will never be affected by this personally, we are as a society. It certainly seems beyond belief that property can be seized on suspicion only, with no actual evidence of…
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National forfeiture foe says ‘Colorado now has the best laws in the nation’
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Washington, D.C.-based civil-liberties watchdog Institute for Justice joined in the applause for Gov. John Hickenlooper’s decision Friday to sign into law a much-debated rollback of state and local law enforcement’s civil-forfeiture powers. The new law includes a number of checks on those powers including a provision that drew dogged opposition from Colorado’s law-enforcement agencies: State and local…
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Staff picks: The 5 most important stories this week in Colorado Politics
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This week’s Colorado political news touched on a little bit of everything, seemingly: a new state party, a career opportunity for a high court justice, shoddy construction and cops’ rewards for crime busting. These are the Colorado Politics stories our staff thinks you’ll be hearing more about in the weeks, months and years to come:…
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Governor under pressure to veto Colorado civil forfeiture bill
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Gov. John Hickenlooper is being pressured to decide between criminal justice reform and the needs of the law enforcement community regarding a controversial civil forfeiture bill. Much of the law enforcement community, including Colorado Springs Police Chief Peter Carey, is urging Hickenlooper to veto the legislation, which aims at reporting seizure information to the…
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Colorado bill would make law enforcement account for what it takes
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One of the more controversial tools that law enforcement agencies have acquired in the era of the war on drugs — seizing cash and property they believe to be associated with a crime — will have to better account for itself under bipartisan legislation now on its way to Gov. John Hickenlooper for his signature. House…
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#Coleg Week 6: Concerning would-be fracktavist vandals, the death penalty, civil forfeiture, the tampon tax, PERA, broadband
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Lawmakers today embark on their sixth week of the session. Eleven weeks to go. What’s on the schedule at the gold dome this week? The “Most Accessed Bills” box on the General Assembly website offers a snapshot. It includes Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg’s SB 35, a “fracktavist beware” bill that would hike penalties for tampering with…
