$3.2BAssets seized annually by police via civil forfeiture
$2.5BTotal annual reported burglary losses (FBI UCR)
87%Of federal forfeitures are civil (no criminal charge required)
$1,300Median value of seized property — below cost of legal challenge
Civil asset forfeiture lets police take your car, cash, or house if they think it might be connected to a crime — without arresting you or proving anything in court. You have to sue to get your stuff back, which costs more than the stuff is usually worth. Police departments keep the money they seize, which gives them an incentive to take things. In 2022, police took more in assets than all burglars stole combined.
Civil asset forfeiture was designed to strip drug kingpins of ill-gotten gains. In practice, it has become a revenue stream. The system is perverse: the government takes your property, and you bear the burden of proving it's innocent (not you — the property). 87% of federal forfeitures are civil, meaning no one is even charged with a crime. The median seizure is $1,300 — below the cost of a lawyer. Most people walk away. Police departments keep the proceeds. This is called "policing for profit."
Institute for Justice "Policing for Profit" (2020, 3rd ed): comprehensive state-by-state analysis. Federal equitable sharing program allows state/local agencies to circumvent stronger state laws — receive up to 80% of federal proceeds. DOJ equitable sharing payments: $609M in FY2019. Mello (2019) "Curbing Nuisance Motions": IRS "structuring" forfeitures against innocent small business owners. Supreme Court cases: Timbs v. Indiana (2019) — 8th Amendment applies to states; held that $42,000 Land Rover forfeiture disproportionate to $200 drug fine. Holders v. Hall (failed federal reform). Policing-for-profit incentive: 40% of agencies report forfeiture as budget-critical (IJ survey).
Institute for Justice forfeiture data: ij.org/issues/private-property/civil-forfeiture. FBI UCR Property Crime data 2022: ucr.fbi.gov. DOJ Asset Forfeiture Fund: justice.gov/afp/file/839521/download. IRS structuring forfeitures: treasury.gov/FOIA. Equitable sharing data: justice.gov/criminal-mlars/equitable-sharing-program. State law grades: IJ Policing for Profit 3rd ed. Timbs v. Indiana, 586 US 146 (2019). ACLU forfeiture resources: aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police/asset-forfeiture-abuse.
Policing for Profit — The Scale of Legal Taking
Civil asset forfeiture is legal. It's common. It disproportionately targets low-income people. And it extracts more money than all burglary in America.
Civil Forfeiture vs Property Crime (Annual $B)
Police seize more than criminals steal — the comparison that reframes the debate
Federal Forfeiture Revenue Growth (2000–2022)
A policing revenue stream that has grown dramatically since 9/11
State Civil Forfeiture Law Grades (IJ 2020)
Most states make it nearly impossible to get your property back
The $1,300 Trap
The median value of seized property in civil forfeiture cases is $1,300. A lawyer to challenge the seizure costs $2,000-5,000. Most people do the math and walk away — which is exactly what the system counts on. The legal system is structured to make fighting back economically irrational. This isn't a bug. It's the design. The government keeps your property and your silence, and your money becomes their budget.
Sources
Institute for Justice "Policing for Profit" 3rd Edition (2020) · FBI Uniform Crime Report Property Crime Data (2022) · DOJ Asset Forfeiture Fund Annual Reports · Timbs v. Indiana, 586 US 146 (2019) · ACLU Civil Asset Forfeiture Reports · IRS Structuring Forfeiture Data