In March the New Mexico state Legislature unanimously passed a bill that would basically eliminate what critics call 鈥減olicing for profit,鈥� the ability of law enforcement agencies to seize cars, cash and other property police say were used in committing a crime. The practice originated in the 1980s as a tool to fight back against big drug dealers, but civil liberties groups on the right and left of the political spectrum say the lure of big money has now corrupted government agencies, who use the law to pad their coffers.
Guests:
, the San Juan County sheriff and the chairman of the New Mexico Sheriffs鈥� Association.
, former New Mexico attorney general, former state representative, founder of the libertarian-leaning Rio Grande Foundation.
, Torrance County sherriff.
, former director of the Forfeiture and Money Laundering Office at the U.S. Department of Justice, former state representative from Albuquerque and a former federal prosecutor.
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"," by Michael Sallah, Robert O'Harrow Jr., and Steven Rich, Washington Post, Sept. 6, 2014.
Op-ed: 鈥�,鈥� by John Yoder and Brad Cates, Washington Post, Sept. 18, 2014.