Illinois Property Confiscation Law Sponsored by Oak Park Senator Moves Forward

OAK PARK, IL — A state senator from Oak Park recently sponsored a bipartisan bill that would strongly limit the property confiscation laws in Illinois. State Senator Don Harmon (D) of Oak Park called the current laws an "unfettered piggybank" for some law enforcement agencies.

Each year, law enforcement officials collect more "tens of millions of dollars" in forfeited property throughout Illinois, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Harmon thinks the current practices are "an extraordinary use of power, adding, that "if it's not used judiciously, it's a real overreach," Sun-Times reported. SB 1578, called the Seizure and Forfeiture Reporting Act, would require a conviction before the permanent seizure of property and would include provisions for funneling profits into funding for social services.

Lawmakers supporting the bill also hope to make the process of property confiscation more transparent for residents, who often find the process of reclaiming their property confusing and expensive.