Taking 'heart of Dixie' to mean Alabama:
"May 31, 2019
Civil asset forfeiture is a practice that allows law enforcement to seize private property they allege has been involved in criminal activity and subsequently keep, sell or destroy it. Under Alabamaç—´ civil forfeiture laws, law enforcement agencies need only probable cause to seize property.
é„*labamaç—´ current civil asset forfeiture practices allow too much room for abuse, Hyden said. æ»´undreds of Alabamians lose cash, cars and other property under this practice every year. Many of them are never convicted of a crime or even charged with one. And many people can稚 afford to hire a lawyer to challenge these seizures in court.
With deep roots in common law, civil forfeiture was originally used as a way to incapacitate organized crime groups.
釘ut today, aided by deeply flawed federal and state laws, many police departments use forfeiture to benefit their bottom lines, making seizures motivated by profit rather than crime-fighting, ... "
Civil asset forfeiture bill passes House, but is it enough? Alabama Political Reporter
Or maybe Mississippi:
"June 30, 2019
Proponents of civil asset forfeiture will argue that such a practice is needed to keep illegal drugs out of Mississippi. That this is the best tool to stop drug mules from crossing Interstates 10 and 20 and reaching your neighborhood. But that argument quickly falls apart when you look at the latest data about the reality of how the practice is used both here in Mississippi and in the nationç—´ largest civil forfeiture program.
A review of the first 18 months of the state痴 civil forfeiture database shows Mississippi law enforcement isn稚 necessarily busting drug kingpins, but more likely collecting cash, an iPhone, or a vehicle if a person is in possession of an illegal substance.
The value of the 315 seizures in the database averaged $7,490 per seizure. When a single high-dollar forfeiture is removed from consideration, that average value drops to $5,422. Less than 10 seizures statewide amounted to more than $60,000.
The vast majority of seizures were for $5,000 or less and fully one-third were for less than $1,000. In two instances, law enforcement seized just $50 in cash. Since attorneys fees and court costs quickly add up to more than those amounts, many people don稚 even try to contest a low-dollar forfeiture. "
A move toward criminal forfeiture - Mississippi Center for Public Policy
