Taken! - Civil asset forfeiture. How cops "legally" can rob you.

A good read from the New Yorker of all places.

Too long to cut and paste the whole thing.

Taken

Under civil forfeiture, Americans who haven’t been charged with wrongdoing can be stripped of their cash, cars, and even homes. Is that all we’re losing?

by Sarah Stillman

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/08/12/130812fa_fact_stillman?currentPage=all

...

In general, you needn’t be found guilty to have your assets claimed by law enforcement; in some states, suspicion on a par with “probable cause” is sufficient. Nor must you be charged with a crime, or even be accused of one. Unlike criminal forfeiture, which requires that a person be convicted of an offense before his or her property is confiscated, civil forfeiture amounts to a lawsuit filed directly against a possession, regardless of its owner’s guilt or innocence.

Anti Federalist wrote:Too long to cut and paste the whole thing.

It's also too long to read—typical of The Yorker.

I'm hitting the hay.

Or unless you can't afford you taxes. Your house is only yours as long as you are able to pay your taxes. And unless they decide to take your property by eminent domain. I am sure there are other ways for them to take your property.