Local Government Dependency on Drug Asset Forfeiture in Texas

The drug war is not really about drugs, it's about addiction. And
dependency is what powers addiction.<br>
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As it turns out, dependency is also what powers the drug war, at least
in Texas. Local government agencies, and often local governments
themselves, are dependent on the money that comes from asset
forfeitures related to the drug trade. We're talking hundreds of
millions of dollars.<br>
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<a href="http://www.cityethics.org/node/474">Click here to read the rest of this blog entry.</a>
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Not only does such dependency lead to abuses in how the money is spent,
as discussed <a href="http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11707305&qu…; target="”_blank”">in
a recent <i>Economist</i> article,</a> but it can also lead to abuses in the
drug war itself, since local agencies and governments have such a
strong incentive to track down drug assets or to push for the guilt of
those whose assets have been taken. Even if this were never done, the
appearance of impropriety is powerful, and the trust of people in their
police and district attorneys is undermined. In addition, dependency on this money skews the priorities of law enforcement
toward the drug trade.<br>
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The federal government places its drug money in a special fund. Other
states do the same thing. Texas law only requires that the money be
used "for law-enforcement purposes," but according to the article, some
of the money finds its way into general local government operations.<br>
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The <i>Economist</i> reports one particularly egregious abuse: the expenditure
of drug money on a margarita machine and other liquor for a party at
the county fair (the district attorney's office won the prize for the
best margarita). Drug money spent on drugs sends the message that the
drug war is not about the drugs or the addiction, but about which kind
of drug abuse can best profit local government agencies. In addition, the
D.A. denied using drug funds for a while before finally admitting it,
saying that the county's drug fund was at his discretion.<br>
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According to the article, another D.A. took his staff to Hawaii, and another bought campaign
commercials.<br>
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Texas law on drug asset forfeiture has created a serious dependency by
local governments on drug money, and it has also created a temptation to
abuse the system for one's personal interest. With respect to
government ethics, the law is every bit as nasty as heroin.<br>
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Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
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