Feds distributed $8 million in seized money, property to Colorado law enforcement. Here’s where it went.
Denver Police investigate a shooting crime scene on Champa St. between and 16th and 17th Avenue in the Renaissance Hotel parking lot Nov. 9, 2016. Local law enforcement agencies across Colorado received about $8 million in proceeds from property and money seizures over the past two years in a practice that police chiefs and sheriffs say could be curtailed by a new state law. It’s money that’s at the center of a controversial new law, one that prescribes how local authorities in Colorado should handle money and assets seized during criminal investigations when working with federal agents. The debate centers on mandates that law enforcement use state protocols for the practice, known as civil asset forfeiture, vs. federal rules, which are seen as more lenient. A bipartisan group of lawmakers and civil rights groups who backed the legislation say it’s needed to ensure Coloradans’ due-process protections and that the practice has better oversight. But the measure — House Bill 1313 — w...