MD governor vetoes civil asset forfeiture reform in wake of Baltimore riots - Watchdog.org

Once upon a time, there was a Senate Bill in the Maryland Legislature. This bill (SB 528) focused on civil asset forfeiture (CAF) reform…and that’s where the libertarians reading this can start swearing, because civil asset forfeiture is a really sore subject in that particular part of the political spectrum.

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And, again: why, yes, that is considered a significant reform.  Or, it would have been considered a reform, except that Republican Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed it:

Senate Bill 528, as amended, would greatly inhibit local law enforcement agencies from pursuing asset forfeitures from drug dealers. In addition, the bill poses new restrictions that would interfere with joint federal and State task forces investigating drug crimes. For those reasons, the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association, the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association, and the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association have requested a veto of Senate Bill 528.

There was more–mostly using Maryland’s current heroin epidemic as a bit of a smokescreen–but that last sentence is tacitly the meat of Hogan’s rationale, anyway.  Cato, one last time: “Despite the mandate that forfeiture proceeds go the general fund, state law enforcement, working with their federal partners, received more than $50 million in forfeiture revenue from 2000 to 2008.”

MD governor vetoes civil asset forfeiture reform in wake of Baltimore riots - Watchdog.org