1
00:00:04,205 --> 00:00:05,110
John Oliver: The police.

2
00:00:05,373 --> 00:00:06,341
They protect us.

3
00:00:06,609 --> 00:00:07,509
They serve us.

4
00:00:07,839 --> 00:00:09,347
And they provide us with an endless source

5
00:00:09,347 --> 00:00:10,912
of T.V show one-liners.

6
00:00:11,602 --> 00:00:13,922
Clip1: Rock, paper, scissors, gun.

7
00:00:13,922 --> 00:00:15,509
Clip2: Well, I'm no Serena Williams,

8
00:00:15,509 --> 00:00:16,818
but I know one thing;

9
00:00:16,818 --> 00:00:17,885
it's all in the wrist.

10
00:00:18,019 --> 00:00:19,721
Clip3 (Officer): Who'd want to cut your penis off?

11
00:00:20,690 --> 00:00:21,788
Suspect: Take a number.

12
00:00:21,931 --> 00:00:22,856
John Oliver: Okay. [laughing]

13
00:00:23,024 --> 00:00:24,725
Now, you laugh but admit it.

14
00:00:24,864 --> 00:00:26,327
You want to watch the rest of that episode

15
00:00:26,349 --> 00:00:27,385
right now.

16
00:00:27,399 --> 00:00:27,962
[laughing]

17
00:00:27,964 --> 00:00:28,534
Now look.

18
00:00:29,004 --> 00:00:31,081
Public trust in the police is one of the

19
00:00:31,089 --> 00:00:33,759
most vital elements in a civilized society

20
00:00:33,759 --> 00:00:35,559
but for many Americans, that trust has

21
00:00:35,559 --> 00:00:37,398
been undermined by a procedure called

22
00:00:37,398 --> 00:00:38,945
civil forfeiture.

23
00:00:39,043 --> 00:00:40,478
Now, I know it sounds like a

24
00:00:40,478 --> 00:00:42,646
Gweneth Paltrow euphemism for divorce,

25
00:00:42,646 --> 00:00:45,779
but incredibly its actually even worse

26
00:00:45,779 --> 00:00:46,692
than that.

27
00:00:47,148 --> 00:00:48,582
Ezekiel Edwards: Civil Asset forfeiture is

28
00:00:48,582 --> 00:00:51,937
really a mechanism by which the state and

29
00:00:51,949 --> 00:00:54,755
federal government can seize people's

30
00:00:54,755 --> 00:00:57,556
property without having to convict them of

31
00:00:57,556 --> 00:00:58,386
a crime.

32
00:00:58,386 --> 00:01:00,786
Most people can't afford to hire a lawyer

33
00:01:00,786 --> 00:01:01,708
to challenge it.

34
00:01:01,718 --> 00:01:03,729
It's really legalized robbery by law

35
00:01:03,729 --> 00:01:04,646
enforcement.

36
00:01:04,739 --> 00:01:05,712
John Oliver: Think about it.

37
00:01:05,780 --> 00:01:07,526
That is a tough crime to report to

38
00:01:07,602 --> 00:01:08,086
the police.

39
00:01:08,435 --> 00:01:10,510
Give me a description of what the guy

40
00:01:10,510 --> 00:01:11,001
looked like.

41
00:01:11,001 --> 00:01:12,958
Well, to be honest, he looked a lot like

42
00:01:12,958 --> 00:01:14,590
the guy currently asking me what the

43
00:01:14,590 --> 00:01:16,183
guy looked like. [laughing]

44
00:01:16,183 --> 00:01:17,529
And if you think this sounds bad,

45
00:01:17,575 --> 00:01:19,728
just wait until you see how it looks.

46
00:01:19,913 --> 00:01:21,843
Because the Washington Post recently

47
00:01:21,843 --> 00:01:23,753
published a major investigation featuring

48
00:01:23,753 --> 00:01:25,753
stories like that of this man who was

49
00:01:25,774 --> 00:01:28,224
driving from Michigan to San Francisco with

50
00:01:28,224 --> 00:01:30,779
$2,400 in cash that his dad had lent him

51
00:01:30,779 --> 00:01:33,427
to start a new job when he was pulled over

52
00:01:33,427 --> 00:01:34,395
in Nevada.

53
00:01:34,676 --> 00:01:36,320
Matt Lee: I gave him my license and

54
00:01:36,320 --> 00:01:38,544
registration, and then as he was looking

55
00:01:38,544 --> 00:01:40,203
at that information, he asked me how much

56
00:01:40,203 --> 00:01:41,269
money I was traveling with.

57
00:01:41,269 --> 00:01:42,235
Narrator: Lee told him about the money

58
00:01:42,235 --> 00:01:43,748
that his Dad give him which he kept in the

59
00:01:43,748 --> 00:01:44,106
trunk.

60
00:01:44,304 --> 00:01:46,240
Matt Lee: He told me to turn on my air

61
00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:49,329
vents on high and roll up my windows

62
00:01:49,329 --> 00:01:51,679
and get out of the car because he was

63
00:01:51,679 --> 00:01:53,118
going to run a canine around it.

64
00:01:53,118 --> 00:01:55,075
Narrator: Dove didn't find drugs, but he

65
00:01:55,075 --> 00:01:56,666
did find the $2400.

66
00:01:56,666 --> 00:01:57,985
Matt Lee: He said, "Now, I am going to

67
00:01:57,985 --> 00:01:59,829
keep the money because I have concluded

68
00:01:59,829 --> 00:02:01,503
through my investigation here that you are

69
00:02:01,503 --> 00:02:03,672
traveling from Michigan to California to

70
00:02:03,672 --> 00:02:05,059
purchase drugs.

71
00:02:05,506 --> 00:02:06,255
John Oliver: Wow.

72
00:02:06,255 --> 00:02:08,499
There is so much wrong there,

73
00:02:08,499 --> 00:02:10,734
including the fact that any policeman

74
00:02:10,734 --> 00:02:12,678
who genuinely believes that you need

75
00:02:12,678 --> 00:02:15,042
to travel from Michigan to California to

76
00:02:15,042 --> 00:02:17,606
purchase drugs needs to be introduced

77
00:02:17,606 --> 00:02:20,675
to the concept of the University of Wisconsin Madison.

78
00:02:20,675 --> 00:02:21,400
[laughing]

79
00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:22,091
Okay.

80
00:02:22,576 --> 00:02:23,210
It’s right there.

81
00:02:23,757 --> 00:02:26,427
And the problem is, stories like that

82
00:02:26,427 --> 00:02:28,315
are surprisingly common.

83
00:02:28,315 --> 00:02:31,285
In fact, since 9/11 under just one program

84
00:02:31,285 --> 00:02:33,955
police have taken $2.5 billion in the

85
00:02:33,955 --> 00:02:37,146
course of over 61,000 seizures of cash

86
00:02:37,146 --> 00:02:38,805
alone from people who,

87
00:02:38,805 --> 00:02:40,614
and this is the mind-blowing part,

88
00:02:40,614 --> 00:02:43,115
were not charged with a crime.

89
00:02:43,115 --> 00:02:45,787
That is the sort of police behavior that

90
00:02:45,787 --> 00:02:47,702
we laugh at other countries for,

91
00:02:47,702 --> 00:02:49,898
along with their accents and silly hats.

92
00:02:49,898 --> 00:02:50,972
[laughing]

93
00:02:50,972 --> 00:02:53,016
The way Civil Forfeiture generally works

94
00:02:53,016 --> 00:02:55,193
is if the police believe they have a

95
00:02:55,193 --> 00:02:57,327
preponderance of the evidence that

96
00:02:57,327 --> 00:02:58,445
suggests your property was

97
00:02:58,445 --> 00:03:00,282
or could be used in a crime,

98
00:03:00,282 --> 00:03:01,633
they may confiscate it.

99
00:03:01,633 --> 00:03:03,264
And it gets even weirder.

100
00:03:03,264 --> 00:03:05,326
Sarah Stillman: Many folks are unfamiliar

101
00:03:05,326 --> 00:03:07,488
with the idea of Civil Forfeiture which is

102
00:03:07,488 --> 00:03:10,256
actually a case brought against,

103
00:03:10,256 --> 00:03:11,838
directly against, a piece of property

104
00:03:11,838 --> 00:03:13,360
where you don’t need to be proven guilty

105
00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,210
of a crime for your goods to

106
00:03:15,210 --> 00:03:16,096
be taken away. 



107
00:03:16,096 --> 00:03:18,466
John Oliver: Exactly, you don’t need to

108
00:03:18,466 --> 00:03:20,134
be charged with a crime because

109
00:03:20,134 --> 00:03:21,872
it’s not you that’s on trial,

110
00:03:21,872 --> 00:03:23,036
it’s your stuff.

111
00:03:23,036 --> 00:03:25,359
That’s why these cases have historically

112
00:03:25,359 --> 00:03:27,424
had eye-catching names such as,

113
00:03:27,424 --> 00:03:28,859
and all of these are real,

114
00:03:28,859 --> 00:03:31,600
“United States v. Eight Thousand Eight Hundred

115
00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:33,451
and Fifty Dollars in United States Currency”

116
00:03:33,451 --> 00:03:33,882
[laughing]

117
00:03:33,882 --> 00:03:36,150
“United States v. An Article Consisting

118
00:03:36,150 --> 00:03:38,352
of 50,000 Cardboard Boxes More or Less,

119
00:03:38,352 --> 00:03:41,241
Each Containing One Pair of Clacker Balls”

120
00:03:41,241 --> 00:03:44,559
and “United States v. Approximately

121
00:03:44,559 --> 00:03:48,111
64,695 Pounds of Shark Fins”

122
00:03:48,111 --> 00:03:51,265
which must have been an amazing court case.

123
00:03:51,265 --> 00:03:53,001
And do you see those shark fins

124
00:03:53,001 --> 00:03:54,318
in the room right now?

125
00:03:54,318 --> 00:03:56,946
Yes, there they are, there they are!

126
00:03:56,946 --> 00:03:59,374
[laughing] Let the record show that

127
00:03:59,374 --> 00:04:02,083
the witness has pointed at roughly 65,000

128
00:04:02,083 --> 00:04:04,546
pounds of shark fins. Guilty, guilty!

129
00:04:05,576 --> 00:04:07,734
And it’s also worth noting that your

130
00:04:07,734 --> 00:04:09,644
possessions generally have fewer

131
00:04:09,664 --> 00:04:12,174
protections under the law than you do.

132
00:04:12,519 --> 00:04:13,687
Scott Bullock: Under Civil Forfeiture

133
00:04:13,687 --> 00:04:17,248
laws your property is guilty until

134
00:04:17,248 --> 00:04:19,444
you prove it innocent.

135
00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:22,264
John Oliver: How can that be possible?

136
00:04:22,264 --> 00:04:23,767
[laughing] At this point, I’m surprised

137
00:04:23,767 --> 00:04:25,187
that objects don’t have their own

138
00:04:25,187 --> 00:04:26,522
civil rights leader.

139
00:04:26,522 --> 00:04:28,221
Like Martin Scooter King,

140
00:04:28,221 --> 00:04:31,298
or Harvey Carton of Milk. [laughing]

141
00:04:31,398 --> 00:04:35,088
Now, to be fair, civil forfeiture laws

142
00:04:35,088 --> 00:04:37,358
have had some positive consequences.

143
00:04:37,358 --> 00:04:39,138
They’ve crippled powerful drug-trafficking

144
00:04:39,138 --> 00:04:41,088
organizations, thwarted criminals,

145
00:04:41,088 --> 00:04:42,698
and returned billions of dollars

146
00:04:42,702 --> 00:04:45,482
to victims. The problem is, that many

147
00:04:45,482 --> 00:04:47,292
police departments are allowed to keep

148
00:04:47,292 --> 00:04:49,862
most or all of the money they seize.

149
00:04:49,862 --> 00:04:52,712
Knowing that starts to make you wonder

150
00:04:52,712 --> 00:04:54,662
about the motivations of these

151
00:04:54,662 --> 00:04:55,992
kinds of questions:

152
00:04:56,132 --> 00:04:57,462
Clip: “Is there any large amounts of cash

153
00:04:57,462 --> 00:04:58,252
in the vehicle?”

154
00:04:58,259 --> 00:04:59,489
“Are there any large sums of money

155
00:04:59,501 --> 00:05:01,741
over $5,000 in cash in the vehicle?”

156
00:05:01,741 --> 00:05:02,841
“How much money you got?”

157
00:05:02,841 --> 00:05:05,011
“Any large amounts of US currency in there?

158
00:05:05,011 --> 00:05:06,141
John Oliver: I’ll take whatever cash

159
00:05:06,141 --> 00:05:07,161
you got in there and ah

160
00:05:07,161 --> 00:05:08,921
is that a slurpee in the cup holder?

161
00:05:08,921 --> 00:05:10,487
What flavor? [laughing] Grape?

162
00:05:10,487 --> 00:05:12,477
Nevermind. You know what? I will take it.

163
00:05:12,479 --> 00:05:14,809
I’ll take it. The question,

164
00:05:14,809 --> 00:05:16,929
do you have cash in the vehicle is

165
00:05:16,929 --> 00:05:19,369
surprisingly common in traffic stops.

166
00:05:19,369 --> 00:05:21,089
The police are prepared to overcome

167
00:05:21,090 --> 00:05:23,280
any language barrier to ask it.

168
00:05:23,820 --> 00:05:25,170
Clip: “tenny mucho mucho dinero

169
00:05:25,170 --> 00:05:26,620
in su trucky-trailer” [laughing]

170
00:05:28,303 --> 00:05:30,383
John Oliver: Let’s be clear, he just said

171
00:05:30,407 --> 00:05:34,407
“tenny mucho mucho dinero in su trucky-trailer”

172
00:05:35,467 --> 00:05:37,897
which sounds like an alien's first

173
00:05:37,897 --> 00:05:39,677
attempt to communicate with humans after

174
00:05:39,687 --> 00:05:41,868
crash landing in a Taco Bell.

175
00:05:41,868 --> 00:05:43,198
[laughing]

176
00:05:43,198 --> 00:05:46,058
In fact, let’s all just pause for a

177
00:05:46,058 --> 00:05:48,288
moment to enjoy that sentence

178
00:05:48,288 --> 00:05:50,968
because every single word of it is funny.

179
00:05:50,968 --> 00:05:54,158
First, tenny, pronounced incorrectly.

180
00:05:54,158 --> 00:05:56,558
Mucho, one of the few words he knows

181
00:05:56,559 --> 00:05:59,249
in Spanish. Mucho, repeated word.

182
00:05:59,265 --> 00:06:01,595
Deniro, a famed actor.

183
00:06:02,365 --> 00:06:04,305
In, a rapid shift to English.

184
00:06:04,305 --> 00:06:06,855
Su, rapid shift back to Spanish.

185
00:06:06,866 --> 00:06:11,406
Trucky-trailer, trucky-trailer. [laughing]

186
00:06:11,406 --> 00:06:15,236
Now It’s magnificent. That is magnificent.

187
00:06:15,242 --> 00:06:16,922
It’s a work of art. [applause]

188
00:06:16,922 --> 00:06:19,622
Now this happened in Tennessee,

189
00:06:19,622 --> 00:06:22,052
a state where local law enforcement

190
00:06:22,054 --> 00:06:23,804
authorities are allowed to keep as much

191
00:06:23,804 --> 00:06:26,774
as 100% of the proceeds from

192
00:06:26,786 --> 00:06:27,906
civil forfeitures.

193
00:06:27,914 --> 00:06:29,554
A local news investigation found

194
00:06:29,554 --> 00:06:31,324
multiple troubling cases of people

195
00:06:31,328 --> 00:06:33,468
having money seized such as George Rebee

196
00:06:33,468 --> 00:06:36,148
who had $20,000 seized after he was

197
00:06:36,148 --> 00:06:37,098
stopped for speeding.

198
00:06:37,098 --> 00:06:38,778
The police officer argued it was drug

199
00:06:38,778 --> 00:06:40,598
money despite the fact that Rebee

200
00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:42,720
had a pretty good explanation.

201
00:06:42,737 --> 00:06:44,717
George Rebee: I told him that I had active

202
00:06:44,717 --> 00:06:46,197
bids on eBay, that I was trying to buy

203
00:06:46,206 --> 00:06:47,636
a vehicle and they just

204
00:06:47,642 --> 00:06:48,382
didn’t want to hear it.

205
00:06:48,382 --> 00:06:50,092
Narrator: In fact, Rebee had proof on

206
00:06:50,092 --> 00:06:51,772
his computer, but the (?) officer

207
00:06:51,772 --> 00:06:54,642
drew up a damning affidavit citing his own

208
00:06:54,648 --> 00:06:56,478
training that common people do not

209
00:06:56,478 --> 00:06:58,988
carry this much US Currency.

210
00:06:58,988 --> 00:07:01,168
Clip: “...and did he tell you that

211
00:07:01,168 --> 00:07:02,238
he was trying to buy a car?”

212
00:07:02,238 --> 00:07:03,118
Officer: “He did.”

213
00:07:03,804 --> 00:07:05,354
Reporter: “But you did not include that

214
00:07:05,359 --> 00:07:06,329
in your report.”

215
00:07:10,392 --> 00:07:12,162
[laughing] Officer: “If it’s not in there,

216
00:07:12,164 --> 00:07:13,064
I didn’t put it in there”.

217
00:07:13,071 --> 00:07:14,821
“So why would you leave that out?"

218
00:07:18,155 --> 00:07:19,265
Officer: “I don’t know”.


219
00:07:20,595 --> 00:07:21,405

John Oliver: What do you mean

220
00:07:21,405 --> 00:07:23,425
you don’t know? I’d expect a better

221
00:07:23,425 --> 00:07:25,215
answer from a police officer than

222
00:07:25,215 --> 00:07:26,885
a four-year-old who just spilled grape

223
00:07:26,885 --> 00:07:28,205
juice on the couch.

224
00:07:28,975 --> 00:07:30,175
What happened to your drink?

225
00:07:30,175 --> 00:07:32,105
I don’t know. I don’t know.

226
00:07:33,085 --> 00:07:35,085
If it’s not in my glass, it’s not in my glass.

227
00:07:35,085 --> 00:07:38,195
I don’t know. I don’t know. [laughing, applause]

228
00:07:38,195 --> 00:07:40,545
And look, it’s not always just a

229
00:07:40,545 --> 00:07:41,515
roadside stop.

230
00:07:41,515 --> 00:07:43,875
In 2008 police raided the

231
00:07:43,875 --> 00:07:45,885
Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit

232
00:07:45,885 --> 00:07:48,615
during it’s “funk night” because it didn’t

233
00:07:48,615 --> 00:07:51,375
have a liquor license seizing 44 cars

234
00:07:51,375 --> 00:07:52,645
under the argument that

235
00:07:52,645 --> 00:07:55,025
“simply driving vehicles to the location

236
00:07:55,025 --> 00:07:57,315
of an unlawful sale of alcohol was

237
00:07:57,315 --> 00:07:58,695
sufficient to seize a car”

238
00:07:58,695 --> 00:08:01,015
which means you may as well seize

239
00:08:01,015 --> 00:08:04,035
any car driven by any teenager on prom

240
00:08:04,035 --> 00:08:06,045
night because they are all going

241
00:08:06,045 --> 00:08:08,785
Chad’s place. Chad’s got the hook up.

242
00:08:09,730 --> 00:08:11,630
We actually managed to get the security

243
00:08:11,630 --> 00:08:13,980
video of that Detroit raid and you can

244
00:08:13,980 --> 00:08:16,460
see the police burst in and arrest people

245
00:08:16,460 --> 00:08:19,360
with the disco lights still swirling in

246
00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:21,410
the single funkiest shake-down

247
00:08:21,410 --> 00:08:24,000
in human history. [laughing]

248
00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,070
They each had to pay $900 to get their

249
00:08:26,074 --> 00:08:27,674
cars out of the impound with the

250
00:08:27,678 --> 00:08:29,848
exception of the one person who’s car

251
00:08:29,848 --> 00:08:31,908
was actually stolen from the lot to

252
00:08:31,908 --> 00:08:33,228
which it had been towed,

253
00:08:33,228 --> 00:08:34,968
which seems like the sort of thing

254
00:08:34,968 --> 00:08:36,638
the police should be investigating if they

255
00:08:36,650 --> 00:08:38,040
weren’t too busy raiding art

256
00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:39,930
gallery funk nights.

257
00:08:39,954 --> 00:08:42,664
And at this point, you may be thinking,

258
00:08:42,664 --> 00:08:44,704
well sure the police departments are

259
00:08:44,704 --> 00:08:46,704
getting a lot of money from seizing stuff,

260
00:08:46,704 --> 00:08:48,284
but I’m sure there are limitations on how

261
00:08:48,299 --> 00:08:49,209
they can spend it.

262
00:08:49,209 --> 00:08:53,419
Well, allow me to take you to a 2012

263
00:08:53,419 --> 00:08:55,289
Columbia Missouri Citizen Police

264
00:08:55,289 --> 00:08:56,429
Review Board hearing.

265
00:08:56,435 --> 00:08:58,945
Clip: How do you decide forfeiture funds?

266
00:08:58,945 --> 00:08:59,655
Police Chief Ken Burton: “You know,

267
00:08:59,655 --> 00:09:01,295
it’s usually based on a need.

268
00:09:01,308 --> 00:09:03,298
Um Well, I take that back.

269
00:09:03,305 --> 00:09:04,795
Review Board: “I would imagine you sign

270
00:09:04,795 --> 00:09:05,365
off on...”

271
00:09:05,468 --> 00:09:06,798
Ken Burton: “Yeah, there are some

272
00:09:06,798 --> 00:09:07,568
limitations on it.

273
00:09:07,580 --> 00:09:10,330
You know, it’s um actually there’s not

274
00:09:10,330 --> 00:09:11,770
really on the forfeiture stuff.”

275
00:09:12,356 --> 00:09:13,636
John Oliver: Actually, there’s basically

276
00:09:13,636 --> 00:09:14,846
no limitations at all.

277
00:09:14,854 --> 00:09:16,374
Come to think of it, there’s well,

278
00:09:16,374 --> 00:09:18,214
we’re essentially Gods. We're gods.

279
00:09:18,214 --> 00:09:20,284
We’re like the anti-Spiderman,

280
00:09:20,284 --> 00:09:21,964
great power no responsibility. [laughing]

281
00:09:21,964 --> 00:09:23,924
I can’t believe this hasn’t come up before.

282
00:09:24,204 --> 00:09:26,824
And look his honesty was not over.

283
00:09:28,014 --> 00:09:29,554
Ken Burton: We just usually base it on

284
00:09:29,554 --> 00:09:31,354
something that would be nice to have,

285
00:09:31,354 --> 00:09:34,474
that we can’t get in the budget for instance.

286
00:09:36,004 --> 00:09:38,694
Though, yeah, we try not to use it for things

287
00:09:38,694 --> 00:09:41,554
that we need to depend on because we need

288
00:09:41,554 --> 00:09:43,034
to go ahead and have those purchased.

289
00:09:43,034 --> 00:09:44,454
But, it’s kind of like pennies

290
00:09:44,454 --> 00:09:46,514
from heaven ya know, it gets you a toy

291
00:09:46,517 --> 00:09:48,217
or something that you need is the way

292
00:09:48,217 --> 00:09:49,447
that we typically look at it.

293
00:09:50,205 --> 00:09:51,485
John Oliver: That’s right. That’s right.

294
00:09:51,492 --> 00:09:54,492
They buy toys with "pennies from heaven."

295
00:09:54,492 --> 00:09:56,092
Well, they should know those pennies

296
00:09:56,094 --> 00:09:57,284
may not be falling from

297
00:09:57,299 --> 00:09:59,189
heaven so much as from the pockets of

298
00:09:59,199 --> 00:10:00,849
the people they are holding upside down

299
00:10:00,849 --> 00:10:03,559
and shaking. And in terms of what kinds

300
00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:05,169
of toys police departments buy,

301
00:10:05,171 --> 00:10:06,111
that really depends.

302
00:10:06,111 --> 00:10:07,871
For instance, in Massachusetts,

303
00:10:07,876 --> 00:10:10,366
one DA’s office used forfeiture money to

304
00:10:10,379 --> 00:10:13,809
buy their own Zamboni even though,

305
00:10:13,817 --> 00:10:16,087
all this is noted, “we could not determine

306
00:10:16,087 --> 00:10:18,317
where this machine was located or the

307
00:10:18,317 --> 00:10:20,207
law-enforcement purpose it serves.”

308
00:10:20,207 --> 00:10:22,327
Although that last one is obvious.

309
00:10:22,327 --> 00:10:23,017
Just think about it.

310
00:10:23,020 --> 00:10:25,520
If you are robbing a bank and the police

311
00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:29,220
pull up in a Zamboni, you’re going to give

312
00:10:29,220 --> 00:10:31,780
yourself up just out of sheer curiosity.

313
00:10:31,780 --> 00:10:33,831
[laughing]

314
00:10:33,841 --> 00:10:37,381
And in Texas, one DA’s office had an

315
00:10:37,381 --> 00:10:39,241
even more imaginative idea,

316
00:10:39,241 --> 00:10:41,191
and I’ll let a concerned citizen at a

317
00:10:41,191 --> 00:10:43,491
a public hearing tell you all about it.

318
00:10:43,491 --> 00:10:45,231
Clip: With or without a law degree,

319
00:10:45,231 --> 00:10:47,701
everyone here knows that purchases of

320
00:10:47,701 --> 00:10:50,471
kegs of beer, margarita machines,

321
00:10:50,471 --> 00:10:52,671
and bottles of Crown Royal for office

322
00:10:52,671 --> 00:10:55,181
parties, as was done in Montgomery County

323
00:10:55,189 --> 00:10:57,519
don’t qualify as expenses

324
00:10:57,526 --> 00:10:59,176
for official purposes. 



325
00:10:59,866 --> 00:11:00,426
John Oliver: That’s true.

326
00:11:00,426 --> 00:11:03,666
In Texas they bought a margarita machine.

327
00:11:03,946 --> 00:11:06,376
They were literally using this money as

328
00:11:06,376 --> 00:11:09,516
their own personal slush fund. [laughing]

329
00:11:09,516 --> 00:11:13,516
It’s perfect, the analogy is perfect.

330
00:11:14,516 --> 00:11:15,456
And look, look.

331
00:11:15,456 --> 00:11:18,196
If the police need money for equipment,

332
00:11:18,196 --> 00:11:20,866
we should clearly be giving it to them.

333
00:11:20,866 --> 00:11:22,606
And if they need money for margarita

334
00:11:22,606 --> 00:11:24,516
machines, they should be (Bleep) paying

335
00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:25,930
for that themselves. [laughing]

336
00:11:25,953 --> 00:11:28,143
But, these civil forfeiture laws have

337
00:11:28,169 --> 00:11:30,349
warped law enforcement priorities and

338
00:11:30,358 --> 00:11:32,868
perception and nowhere is that more

339
00:11:32,895 --> 00:11:34,895
clear than Philadelphia.

340
00:11:35,194 --> 00:11:36,674
Video Clip, CNN: Philadelphia officials

341
00:11:36,674 --> 00:11:38,914
over a 10 year period have seized more

342
00:11:38,914 --> 00:11:42,294
than 1,000 houses, about 3,300 vehicles,

343
00:11:42,302 --> 00:11:46,132
and $44 million in cash in civil forfeitures.

344
00:11:46,137 --> 00:11:47,407
John Oliver: Holy shit.

345
00:11:48,158 --> 00:11:49,888
Usually when someone describes something

346
00:11:49,909 --> 00:11:52,539
taking 3,000 vehicles and 1,000 houses,

347
00:11:52,539 --> 00:11:54,959
they're talking about a (bleep) hurricane.

348
00:11:55,113 --> 00:11:57,193
Now, one of those houses belongs to the

349
00:11:57,193 --> 00:11:59,133
Sourovelis family and the reason for that

350
00:11:59,151 --> 00:12:02,241
seizure seems a little harsh from the outside.

351
00:12:02,571 --> 00:12:03,691
Clip, CNN: Police arrested their

352
00:12:03,694 --> 00:12:06,364
22-year-old son Yianni on drug charges,

353
00:12:06,364 --> 00:12:09,064
$40 worth of heroine, and claimed he was

354
00:12:09,064 --> 00:12:10,684
selling drugs out of the home.

355
00:12:10,696 --> 00:12:12,886
Police and prosecutors came armed with a

356
00:12:12,899 --> 00:12:14,689
law suit against the house itself.

357
00:12:14,781 --> 00:12:16,691
John Oliver: Exactly, because remember

358
00:12:16,705 --> 00:12:19,865
The parents aren’t on trial, the house is,

359
00:12:19,874 --> 00:12:21,714
which is clearly ridiculous.

360
00:12:21,714 --> 00:12:24,034
The only drug-containing house that needs

361
00:12:24,045 --> 00:12:25,935
a law suit against it is this one.

362
00:12:25,946 --> 00:12:27,066
[laughing] You’re on the edge.

363
00:12:27,078 --> 00:12:28,628
You’re on the edge, House.

364
00:12:28,628 --> 00:12:29,508
You’re this close.

365
00:12:29,508 --> 00:12:30,508
You’re this close to loosing your job.

366
00:12:30,508 --> 00:12:32,847
[laughing and applause]

367
00:12:32,847 --> 00:12:35,307
You’re good, dammit. You're good, House.

368
00:12:36,401 --> 00:12:38,111
But you're close, House. You're close.

369
00:12:38,111 --> 00:12:40,151
You're good but you're so close.

370
00:12:40,847 --> 00:12:42,387
But you're so good, House.

371
00:12:43,927 --> 00:12:45,957
And once their house was seized,

372
00:12:45,965 --> 00:12:48,245
the Sourovelis’ got to experience the

373
00:12:48,269 --> 00:12:50,129
final problem with civil forfeiture.

374
00:12:50,137 --> 00:12:52,897
Recourse can be incredibly difficult.



375
00:12:52,906 --> 00:12:55,136
Clip, CNN: Here in Philadelphia if you

376
00:12:55,143 --> 00:12:57,163
have your property taken, you can come

377
00:12:57,163 --> 00:13:00,353
here to city hall and go to courtroom 478

378
00:13:00,353 --> 00:13:02,733
and try to get it back. The problem is,

379
00:13:02,756 --> 00:13:05,096
the people that are taking the belongings

380
00:13:05,096 --> 00:13:07,606
are also the ones calling the shots

381
00:13:07,606 --> 00:13:08,936
inside the courtroom.

382
00:13:09,436 --> 00:13:12,486
The Sourovelis’ showed up to courtroom 478

383
00:13:12,486 --> 00:13:14,746
ready to plead their case to a judge.

384
00:13:14,746 --> 00:13:17,066
Instead, they say they faced a prosecutor

385
00:13:17,066 --> 00:13:18,416
from the DA’s office.


386
00:13:19,071 --> 00:13:19,891
John Oliver: That’s right.

387
00:13:19,900 --> 00:13:22,430
Their first step in challenging the police

388
00:13:22,430 --> 00:13:24,500
seizing their property was in a courtroom

389
00:13:24,500 --> 00:13:26,400
without a judge hearing their case.

390
00:13:26,406 --> 00:13:28,936
How can you even still call that a

391
00:13:28,947 --> 00:13:31,127
courtroom? If you take all of the doctors

392
00:13:31,127 --> 00:13:32,957
out of a hospital and replace them with

393
00:13:32,957 --> 00:13:35,077
otters, that’s no longer a hospital.

394
00:13:35,085 --> 00:13:37,035
[laughing] It's better. It’s much better,

395
00:13:37,035 --> 00:13:39,675
but it’s not a hospital. I love it,

396
00:13:39,687 --> 00:13:41,047
but it’s not a hospital.

397
00:13:41,638 --> 00:13:43,578
In fact, recourse is so difficult that

398
00:13:43,590 --> 00:13:45,360
most people who have lost stuff to

399
00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:47,370
civil forfeiture, just choose to walk away

400
00:13:47,370 --> 00:13:48,710
rather than fight.

401
00:13:48,725 --> 00:13:51,295
So at this point it should seem obvious

402
00:13:51,303 --> 00:13:53,643
that the bad may be starting to outweigh

403
00:13:53,655 --> 00:13:55,405
the good with civil forfeiture laws.

404
00:13:55,407 --> 00:13:56,917
So we’ve really got two choices.

405
00:13:56,917 --> 00:13:59,157
We can take a hard look at reforming them

406
00:13:59,170 --> 00:14:02,540
or at the very least we need to reform our

407
00:14:02,540 --> 00:14:05,240
network cop dramas to make them a lot more

408
00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,760
representative of what is actually happening.

409
00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:08,450
[laughing]

410
00:14:08,450 --> 00:14:10,730
Clip: Narrator: Coming soon. Law & Order.

411
00:14:10,730 --> 00:14:12,810
Civil Asset Forfeiture Unit.

412
00:14:16,079 --> 00:14:19,359
Get ready to go inside the thrilling world

413
00:14:19,371 --> 00:14:20,781
of civil forfeiture.

414
00:14:20,796 --> 00:14:22,656
Knock knock. Freeze, police!

415
00:14:22,660 --> 00:14:24,260
Hands on the ground; get off the sofa.

416
00:14:24,260 --> 00:14:25,790
Keep ‘em where we can see ‘em.

417
00:14:25,797 --> 00:14:27,107
You’re under arrest.

418
00:14:27,107 --> 00:14:29,017
Man: What for? You guys got nothing on me.

419
00:14:29,017 --> 00:14:31,857
Not you, the sofa.

420
00:14:32,926 --> 00:14:35,786
Narrator: Coming this fall, a procedural

421
00:14:35,786 --> 00:14:37,726
about law enforcement’s shadiest procedure.

422
00:14:41,184 --> 00:14:42,854
Officer: Rough night huh?

423
00:14:43,754 --> 00:14:45,984
Ah, well it’s about to get a lot rougher.

424
00:14:46,947 --> 00:14:49,867
What’s $2,500 in cash doing hanging out

425
00:14:49,867 --> 00:14:53,867
in somebody’s glove box huh? Answer me!

426
00:14:54,963 --> 00:14:57,293
Narrator: These cops are determined and

427
00:14:57,297 --> 00:14:59,977
they won’t stop until they get everything.

428
00:14:59,977 --> 00:15:02,967
Every...last...thing.

429
00:15:03,289 --> 00:15:04,279
Officer: You’re dirty right?

430
00:15:04,279 --> 00:15:05,849
Drug deal, guns, what is it?

431
00:15:05,849 --> 00:15:07,649
I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me!

432
00:15:09,169 --> 00:15:10,289
I’m gonna beat the shit out of ya.

433
00:15:11,009 --> 00:15:13,129
Officer: Detective Bovatchi, Civil Forfeiture Unit

434
00:15:13,139 --> 00:15:14,669
Narrator: Brace yourself for heart

435
00:15:14,669 --> 00:15:16,039
pounding take downs.

436
00:15:16,052 --> 00:15:16,982
Officer: Resisting arrest?

437
00:15:17,964 --> 00:15:20,094
Send in back up! Send in back up!

438
00:15:20,094 --> 00:15:21,764
Narrator: The defendants are inanimate,

439
00:15:21,764 --> 00:15:24,514
but the drama is anything but. 



440
00:15:24,527 --> 00:15:25,417
Officer: Frisk ‘em.

441
00:15:29,437 --> 00:15:31,267
Officer: There is a pile of silver dollars next

442
00:15:31,267 --> 00:15:33,117
door that says you did it.

443
00:15:34,947 --> 00:15:38,127
You will lose, and I will win.

444
00:15:50,514 --> 00:15:52,204
Officer: Stay on the streets too long,

445
00:15:52,204 --> 00:15:55,114
the city leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

446
00:15:57,002 --> 00:16:00,072
Officer: Hey, I know what’ll get it out.

447
00:16:03,082 --> 00:16:18,562
[laughing, applause]

448
00:16:18,562 --> 00:16:19,362
Narrator: Law & Order.

449
00:16:19,379 --> 00:16:21,579
Civil Asset Forfeiture Unit.

450
00:16:22,054 --> 00:16:23,244
Officer: I’m going to crumple you up

451
00:16:23,244 --> 00:16:26,299
until you look like a cat’s asshole.

452
00:16:26,299 --> 00:16:28,959
[applause]