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28 April 2023
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has released the 2022 Civil Asset Forfeiture Report.
The report is required by law to be submitted each year to the Kansas Legislature and to the public. Under the law, law enforcement agencies can seize property and take ownership if it is used to commit a crime.
In 2022, there were 522 civil asset seizures made by law enforcement in Kansas, and 54.2% of those were made following some type of traffic stop.
Only 22.8% were seized by warrant. The rest were taken by either probable cause, were in plain view of the officers, or consent to seize the property was given.
In 80% of those cases, the person was arrested. According to the incident reports submitted by local law enforcement agencies to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the majority of the cases involved illegal drug distribution.
The report shows $3,203,474.44 cash and $1,409,004.97 worth of property seized for a total of $4,612,479.41. Of the seized currency, $2,615,321.63 was forfeited, and $831,896.97 in property was forfeited for a total value of $3,447,218.60.
Under the law, local law enforcement can use seized property and cash to help cover costs like training, equipment purchases, and other approved uses. However, departments have to keep a record of all seizures and forfeitures and account for those expenditures in their annual reporting to the KBI.
To read the full report, click here. To see the data spreadsheet breaking down the data from each individual local law enforcement agency, click here.