NCJ Number
123545
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 38 Issue: 6 Dated: (April 1990) Pages: 67-70
Date Published
1990
Length
4 pages
Annotation
If used to their full potential, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) laws can provide revenue to fund law enforcement agencies and become an extremely powerful law enforcement tool.
Abstract
Although the content of the laws vary from state to state, for those states that have forfeiture laws they generally allow the police to seize and then either keep for their own use or sell any property used in the commission of a felony. While this usually involves cars and occasionally cash, forfeiture actions have brought in real estate, mobile homes, firearms, aircraft, boats, and just about anything that can be used by the police or sold. The enforcement of RICO and forfeiture laws is usually a civil action which is simpler to prove and more cost effective than criminal actions. However, these laws are not effective against such crimes as burglary, robbery, and rape, but against those who become involved in crime because of the huge profits to be made. Many jurisdictions do not utilize their state's RICO law because they don't have anyone on staff who can do the intricate and difficult task of tracing assets. The use of RICO laws requires, among other things, a rapport with various government licensing agencies, and the hiring of a private attorney to handle seizure actions.