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Bluelighter
Multiple page article: http://www.stwnewspress.com/cnhi_network/article_daf14bbf-a3d4-51cb-9013-73b55f00edd7.html
Mandrel Stuart and his girlfriend were on a date driving on Interstate 66 toward the District of Columbia when a Fairfax County, Va., police cruiser pulled out of the median and raced after them. The cruiser kept pace alongside Stuart's old blue GMC Yukon for a while, then followed behind for several miles before turning on its flashing lights.
The traffic stop on that balmy afternoon in August 2012 was the beginning of a dizzying encounter that would leave Stuart shaken and wondering whether he had been singled out because he was black and had a police record.
Over the next two hours, he would be detained without charges, handcuffed and taken to a nearby police station. He also would be stripped of $17,550 in cash - money that he had earned through Smoking Roosters, a small barbecue restaurant he owned in Staunton, Va. Stuart said he was going to use the money that night for supplies and equipment.
The reason for the police stop: Stuart's SUV had tinted windows and a video was playing in his sightline. He was never charged with a crime, and there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. But police took his money because they assumed it was related to the drug trade.
Stuart would have to fight the federal government for any chance of getting his money back.
"Why didn't he just give me a ticket?" Stuart asked the prosecutor. "What was the reason for him harassing me as much as he did?"
Stuart's case is among 400 seizures from 17 states examined by The Washington Post to assess how the practice known as "highway interdiction" has affected American drivers. Their experiences, gleaned from legal papers and interviews, contain striking similarities that underscore questions about police power in an era when security has often trumped the rights of individuals.
Many of the highway officers involved were trained in the techniques of interdiction after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, some with financial support from the departments of Homeland Security and Justice. The officers were able to seize cash and have their departments share in the proceeds through a long-standing Justice Department civil asset-forfeiture program known as Equitable Sharing. Police can also make seizures under their states' laws.
Their methods often involve the use of minor traffic infractions as pretexts for stops; an analysis of "indicators" about drivers' intentions, such as nervousness; a request for warrantless searches; and a focus on cash. In most of the cases, police never make an arrest.
Too lazy to copy-paste the whole thing: http://www.stwnewspress.com/cnhi_network/article_daf14bbf-a3d4-51cb-9013-73b55f00edd7.html
Mandrel Stuart and his girlfriend were on a date driving on Interstate 66 toward the District of Columbia when a Fairfax County, Va., police cruiser pulled out of the median and raced after them. The cruiser kept pace alongside Stuart's old blue GMC Yukon for a while, then followed behind for several miles before turning on its flashing lights.
The traffic stop on that balmy afternoon in August 2012 was the beginning of a dizzying encounter that would leave Stuart shaken and wondering whether he had been singled out because he was black and had a police record.
Over the next two hours, he would be detained without charges, handcuffed and taken to a nearby police station. He also would be stripped of $17,550 in cash - money that he had earned through Smoking Roosters, a small barbecue restaurant he owned in Staunton, Va. Stuart said he was going to use the money that night for supplies and equipment.
The reason for the police stop: Stuart's SUV had tinted windows and a video was playing in his sightline. He was never charged with a crime, and there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. But police took his money because they assumed it was related to the drug trade.
Stuart would have to fight the federal government for any chance of getting his money back.
"Why didn't he just give me a ticket?" Stuart asked the prosecutor. "What was the reason for him harassing me as much as he did?"
Stuart's case is among 400 seizures from 17 states examined by The Washington Post to assess how the practice known as "highway interdiction" has affected American drivers. Their experiences, gleaned from legal papers and interviews, contain striking similarities that underscore questions about police power in an era when security has often trumped the rights of individuals.
Many of the highway officers involved were trained in the techniques of interdiction after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, some with financial support from the departments of Homeland Security and Justice. The officers were able to seize cash and have their departments share in the proceeds through a long-standing Justice Department civil asset-forfeiture program known as Equitable Sharing. Police can also make seizures under their states' laws.
Their methods often involve the use of minor traffic infractions as pretexts for stops; an analysis of "indicators" about drivers' intentions, such as nervousness; a request for warrantless searches; and a focus on cash. In most of the cases, police never make an arrest.
Too lazy to copy-paste the whole thing: http://www.stwnewspress.com/cnhi_network/article_daf14bbf-a3d4-51cb-9013-73b55f00edd7.html
