We need more transparency in city government
The total amount collected via civil asset forfeiture can be disclosed without disclosing specific names or details about any ongoing cases.
Printed in the Herald-Times, March 9, 2025
To the Editor:
Back in 2015, I requested the Bloomington Police Department provide the total amount of money and property seized as part of civil asset forfeiture on an annual basis. The police department refused, saying this represents "investigatory records." This reasoning is weak, as a total amount can be disclosed without disclosing specific names or details about any ongoing cases.
Former Herald-Times reporter Steve Hinnefeld posted on X (formerly Twitter) calling on the H-T to back this call for transparency, but the local newspaper failed to do so.
Mayor Kerry Thompson has been in office since January 2024. Now would be a good time for her to reverse previous administrations' unnecessary secrecy.
It would be even better for the Bloomington Police Department to not engage in civil asset forfeiture at all. We have seen many cases nationwide where people have lost money and property without ever being convicted of a crime. This outgrowth of the overly aggressive "War on Drugs" is a direct assault on the Fifth Amendment's guarantee of due process.
Much is said about government at the national level, but local government is where we most directly interact with the civil magistrate. Mayor Thompson can make Bloomington into an example for the state and nation by embracing increased transparency, and the city council should encourage this transparency.