In recent years the reputation of law enforcement and the criminal justice system has been hammered coast to coast from such controversies as illegal seizures, racial profiling, forced confessions from suspects, and police beatings and shootings. Several aspects of the judicial system also have come under fire, such as the death penalty and crowded prisons. Gene Voegtlin, legislative counsel for the police chiefs association, said the organization was pleased with Bush's support, adding that the association hoped Gore, too, would respond to keep the issue bipartisan. Drug forfeitures were the subject of a series of stories The Star published in May showing police across the country were evading state laws to improperly keep millions of dollars in cash and property seized in drug busts and traffic stops. Most states have laws that prohibit police from directly benefiting from seizures in drug cases, because they see that as a dangerous conflict of interest.
Several states send the money to public education.
But police are able to keep much of the money by handing seizures off to federal agencies, which keep a portion and return up to 80 percent to police. Critics fear that allowing police to profit from fighting crime can lead to other abuses such as racial profiling. Vice President Gore's state, Tennessee, has some of the least stringent state forfeiture laws in the country. Even so, the Memphis Police Department has been under investigation by a number of agencies, including the FBI and the state auditor, for corruption in its handling of drug money. Last month four high-ranking employees were fired.