Civil Forfeiture

An investigation by The Appeal and Spotlight PA found that troopers in three counties have taken big money from drivers, many of whom were never charged.

With wide jurisdiction and limited oversight, sheriffs play a pivotal role in policing and incarceration.

The city’s experiment with civil asset forfeiture was supposed to end, but the practices of its parking agency and some in state law enforcement suggest that police may be turning to other forms of property confiscation.

Criminal charges are absent from 85 percent of all forfeiture cases in the city.