93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
A special state House committee will meet this week to work on possible bills dealing with civil asset forfeiture.
The legal tool allows police to take property they think has been involved in criminal activity, even before a person has been convicted of anything.
Republican Rep. Shamed Dogan is chairman of the House’s Special Committee on Criminal Justice. He points to the state auditor’s report showing a 28 percent spike in cash and property seized last year compared to 2017.
“We want to try and curb some of the abuses of that and come to some kind of a compromise where law enforcement can go after drug cartels. No one’s trying to prohibit them from going after people who are drug dealers, but we just want to make sure that whenever possible, they do that through state law, which does require criminal convictions before you can take someone’s property,” said Dogan.
The committee will also look at possible racial profiling by police.
The first hearing was scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the St. Louis County Council Chambers. Another hearing is set for Thursday, Aug. 1 at the Robert J. Mohart Multi-Purpose Center in Kansas City.
