Stay Informed
of New Reports
Twitter
Where To Report Waste
Fraud, Abuse, Or Retaliation
Where To Report Waste Fraud, Abuse, Or Retaliation

Civil Asset Forfeiture: Strengthening Transparency and Protections for Property Owners

Report Details

Submitting OIG: 
Washington State Auditor
Report Description: 
Civil asset forfeiture is a legal tool that allows police agencies to seize and forfeit (retain) property believed to be involved in or the proceeds of a crime. While property owners may file a claim to recover it, a performance audit in Washington found police agencies retained up to 90 percent of such property. This totaled nearly $40 million in forfeitures from January 2020 through December 2022. This published report examined eight police agencies to better understand forfeitures in the state, and included recommendations to strengthen transparency and protections for property owners.
Date Issued: 
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Agency Reviewed / Investigated: 
State of Washington
Location: 
United States
Type of Report: 
Inspection / Evaluation
Professional Standard: 
GAO's Yellow Book, Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS)
Report File Link: 
https://sao.wa.gov/reports-data/audit-reports/civil-asset-forfeiture

Please note that Oversight.gov contains links to documents hosted on various state and local government and other non-Federal Government websites (external websites). CIGIE proudly complies with section 508 accessibility regulations in the posting of Federal Government reports on Oversight.gov; however, CIGIE cannot guarantee section 508 compliance (accessibility) on any external websites. Additionally, when clicking on links to external websites, users should be aware that doing so causes them to leave CIGIE’s website and to be subject to that external website’s privacy policy. Furthermore, CIGIE neither controls nor guarantees the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of the information contained in external website links.