Improve Data Collection in Civil Asset Forfeiture Cases

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Civil asset forfeiture laws allow law enforcement to permanently take property or money from someone, even if that person is never arrested or convicted of a crime. HB 1628 improves the substance and process of collecting and reporting data about civil asset forfeiture cases, from the initial seizure through the legal process to forfeit the property, and the purposes for which forfeiture proceeds are ultimately used by the government. Take action in support of this bill!

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Subject Support HB 1628!

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As a constituent I write to urge you to support and sponsor HB 1628. The bill improves transparency around civil asset forfeiture by requiring the collection and reporting of data to allow Illinoisans to track the life cycle of forfeiture cases, from the initial seizure through disposition of the court case and disposal of the property, and to better understand the relationship between civil forfeiture cases and any related criminal matters.

Civil asset forfeiture laws allow for someone’s property to be taken and used by law enforcement – even if the person is never charged with or convicted of a crime. Recognizing that any system this powerful must be fair and include due process, Illinois enacted reforms to civil asset forfeiture in 2018.
But the lack of meaningful data collection makes it difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of those changes and determine what further reforms might be necessary. While we know that tens of millions of dollars of Illinoisans' property are forfeited every year, we are missing critical information necessary to assess the impact of civil asset forfeiture laws on all Illinoisans, including any disparities by geography, race, income, or innocent owner status.

The Institute for Justice, which grades states on their forfeiture reporting laws and practices, has given Illinois low marks on the collection and reporting of data around this important issue. Please support HB 1628 to continue the important work the Illinois legislature has done to make this system more fair and transparent.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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Improve Data Collection in Civil Asset Forfeiture Cases

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