{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20141115200658/http://sensenbrenner.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397660", "Sensenbrenner Sends Letter to Holder on Federal Adoption", "2014-10-24", "2014", "2014-10", "Republican", "House", "WI", "F. Sensenbrenner", "S000244", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) today continued his oversight of civil asset forfeiture, sending the below letter to Attorney General Eric Holder regarding federal adoption.  On October 16, Congressman Sensenbrenner sent oversight letters to the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Acting Director of the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency requesting information on each agency\u2019s participation in the Department of Justice\u2019s asset forfeiture program, specifically their processes for administrative review of property seizures.\u00a0 \nDear Attorney General Holder: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Federal adoption occurs when a federal agency adopts a seizure from a state or local law enforcement agency and proceeds with federal forfeiture.\u00a0 Numerous Department of Justice (DOJ or Department) entities are authorized to adopt state and local seizures.\u00a0 Under the Department\u2019s Equitable Sharing Program, DOJ will share up to 80 percent of forfeited funds with the seizing agency. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Federal adoptions have grown exponentially in recent years.\u00a0 From 2001 to 2013, state and local law enforcement made nearly 62,000 cash seizures without a warrant or criminal indictment through the Equitable Sharing Program.\u00a0 State and local authorities have received over $1.7 billion from these seizures while federal agencies have kept $800 million. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Equitable Sharing Program is frequently criticized because it allows state and local police to ignore restrictions on civil asset forfeiture in their home states.\u00a0 In some cases, it gives them a direct financial incentive to do so.\u00a0 A 2011 study published in the Journal of Criminal Justice found that local and state police are in fact more likely to rely on the federal Equitable Sharing Program if they work in a state where civil forfeiture is more difficult or less rewarding.\u00a0 The disturbing conclusion is that local agency\u2019s rely on the Equitable Sharing Program to circumvent state law.\u00a0\u00a0  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The implications on civil liberties are dire.\u00a0 The right to own property is a fundamental right implicitly recognized in the Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.\u00a0 I also believe that it is a human right.\u00a0  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Daniel Webster warned that \u201c[g]ood intentions will be pleaded for every assumption of power.\u201d\u00a0 With federal adoption, the federal government gives DOJ\u2019s imprimatur to state cases and then shares proceeds of the forfeiture with the very law enforcement agency that seized the property.\u00a0 The conflict of interest for these state and local agencies is so stark, over a right so critical, that it screams for protections and redundancies of protections against abuse.\u00a0 It is therefore critical that the Department maintain clear standards regarding how its entities weigh and ultimately adopt state and local cases. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To help further understanding of the Department\u2019s policies regarding federal adoption, please respond to the following questions by November 14, 2014. \u2022\u00a0Please describe the federal adoption process from the time a state applies for adoption through a final decision.  \n\u2022\u00a0What percentage of state requests are ultimately adopted?\u00a0 What is the breakdown of adoptions among the Department\u2019s law enforcement entities?  \n\u2022\u00a0To apply for federal adoption, a state or local agency must fill out Form Dag-71.\u00a0 The form requires an \u201cimmediate probable cause review\u201d if certain specified conditions are not met.\u00a0 What does this review involve?\u00a0 Is the review always conducted prior to adoption when the specified conditions are not met?\u00a0   \n\u2022\u00a0Seizures must be based on probable cause. What evidence does the Department require to ensure that the standard of proof has been met prior to adopting a seizure?  \n\u2022\u00a0Does a federal adoption represent a DOJ determination that there was probable cause to support the state or local seizure?  \n\u2022\u00a0What officials are authorized to approve a request for adoption?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0  With your response, please provide 25 samples of closed DEA and ATF case files.\u00a0 Please ensure that the files contain all the documents originally contained therein.\u00a0 Thank you for your prompt attention to this important issue.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20141115200658/http://sensenbrenner.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397660"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9079650044441223, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}