State Auditor Julie Blaha on Thursday pointed to Minnesota's latest asset forfeiture numbers as evidence supporting the need for newly passed legislation limiting when authorities can seize property worth less than $1,500.
Blaha's office released its annual report on property seized by state law enforcement on the heels of new legislation that she championed this year. Under the new law, the state will also start ramping up data collection to study how seized proceeds are used by local government and law enforcement agencies.
"These forfeitures are a small impact on law enforcement's budgets but could have a big impact on a person's life," Blaha said. "Having a few hundred dollars seized can mean the difference between making rent or homelessness. Losing that old car can lead to missing work and losing your job."
Blaha made reworking Minnesota's asset forfeiture laws an early priority after she took office in 2019. She cited an early review that found forfeitures under $1,500 made up a tiny fraction of local government spending on public safety services — yet could represent a significant loss for individual Minnesotans who do not need to be convicted in order to lose the property.
Thursday's report found that 76% of civil asset forfeitures in 2020 were less than $1,500 and added up to $1.2 million — a fraction of the $5.6 million seized during the year.
Forfeitures less than $1,500 totaled about $1.5 million in 2019. Blaha said the COVID-19 pandemic led to a sizable drop in smaller forfeitures because of suspended court proceedings. Overall, law enforcement agencies reported 5,785 completed forfeitures last year — down 25% from 2019.
The state's new guidelines on forfeitures will not take effect until 2022, and it may be up to two years until state data reflect the changes, Blaha said.
The auditor's report again found drunken driving and controlled substance cases are the most common criminal cases that lead to asset forfeitures — accounting for 85% of all reported forfeitures. But such cases are on the decline, Blaha's office reported: DUI-related forfeitures dropped 16% and controlled substance forfeitures fell 33% over the past five years.
