A New Jersey man was driving in Tennessee. He was pulled over to the side of the road by a state trooper. He had been speeding.
That was mistake #1.
The cop asked if the man was carrying money. The man said yes.
That was mistake #2. He said was trying to buy a car.
Then the cop asked if he could search the car. The man said yes.
That was mistake #3. The cop confiscated the money. $20,000.
The cop never said in his report that the man said he wanted to buy a car. He said the man was trying to buy drugs. The moment a cop in Tennessee says this, the police department gets to keep the money unless the victim sues to get it back.
The state paid back the money after (1) the news media picked up the story, (2) he surrendered his constitutional right to sue, (3) he waited four months.
Most people have to hire a lawyer to get their money back. That’s costly.
When I drive to my daughter’s place in Nashville, I never carry more than $50 in cash.
Of course, I normally carry no more than $20. When I go to Tennessee, I adopt my high-roller persona.
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Published on May 18, 2012. The original is here.
A follow-up story is here. A bill was introduced to set up a committee to investigate this practice. It died in committee.
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