Police officials in New Mexico are worry that departments will no longer be in a position to afford to support the drug war now that New Mexico has officially outlawed the asset forfeiture program a revelation that has drug reform supports asking, what the issue is?
Starting this month, law officials across the state will not be allowed to confiscate a citizen’s property based on suspicion of a drug-related offense. The recent signatures put on House Bill 560 by the state of New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez ended the capacity for police to go searching for profitable items like houses and cars without getting a conviction.
Interference to a recent article from the Farmington Daily Times, this new law of the land has police departments concerned about diminishing budgets and the inability to gain the needed capital to keep their narcotics sector from sinking like a rock.
Now, instead of profiting from innocent citizens, law officials throughout New Mexico must see drug-related cases all the way through to a guilty result prior to them be given permission to auction seized property a process that was previously allowed to conducted without any proof of a crime. Because of this amendment to the law, which obligates officers to store confiscated property until the gavel slams down, some officers have stated that they will no longer make property seizures a priority, which has caused them to take less of an interest in fighting the War on Drugs.
“We’re going to try not to seize,” Farmington Police Chief Hebbe stated, adding that he is not happy with the fact that no law agency was asked about what the demise of the seizure program would affect them financially.
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