As the guy who originally made this chart I periodically get asked to update these numbers, which only go through 2014. So it brings me no pleasure to report the following: Cops are still taking more stuff from people than burglars do thewhyaxis.substack.com/p/cops-still-t… 
https://twitter.com/JoshuaPotash/status/1468353565865484293
One thing that needs clarifying: the figures in this chart are *federal* only. State cops take a lot of stuff too, although probably not as much as federal. We don't really know, because states are all over the place in how they report this stuff. thewhyaxis.substack.com/p/cops-still-t…
This is all in response to the story of the $100,000 cash seizure in Dallas, which local press framed as a feel-good story about a dog, but which involved cops taking money from a woman currently not accused of any criminal wrongdoing.
Sometimes good dogs do bad things.
Is it weird to stuff $100k in cash into your checked baggage? Yes, but it is not *illegal.* In a country of 330 million people you’re bound to have a bunch of weirdos, just living out their weird lives, doing weird things.
Maybe the $100k in Dallas really is connected to a crime! But the thing is, the police don't have to prove that. They don't have to get a conviction, or even bring up a criminal charge. They can take anything they want from you, simply on a hunch. thewhyaxis.substack.com/p/cops-still-t…
My personal favorite forfeiture case: when Oklahoma cops pulled over a guy for a broken tail light and took $53,000 that a Christian rock band had raised for an orphanage. washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2…
Another fun forfeiture fact: cops in multiple states have been documented letting drugs get to their destinations so they can nab the cash on the return trip. It's not about stopping crime, it's about turning a profit. washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2…
Post-script on the Dallas case: I reached out to the PD and they gave me a generic statement. I pressed them on the legality of flying with cash, and then they said they wanted to hop on the phone. (1/2)
In my experience this typically means they want to spin and obfuscate and cast aspersions on background, so I declined and said I wanted on-record statements only. No response. (2/n)
If we're going to entrust you with the power to take peoples' property on the basis of a suspicion, the least you should be able to do is explain your actions on-record. If @DallasPD wants to clarify anything they have my email.
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