Bradenton Police Department bypassing courts in forfeitures

Heral Tribune, BRADENTON -- For years, the Bradenton Police Department has quietly, without judicial review, confiscated hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and property from people they arrested for drug possession and other crimes.

The police bypass the courts and confiscate money and property on the spot through a department-created form called the "Contraband Forfeiture Agreement." By signing it, a person agrees to relinquish their property to the police and waive any rights they have to try to get it back through the courts.

In some cases -- including one last year where police seized more than $43,000 from a man during a traffic stop -- people have signed over cash and other property without ever getting charged with a crime.

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