Policy Text
supplemental funding for specified authorized purposes. The potential for obtaining
revenues from these forfeitures must not influence the fundamental considerations for
instituting a seizure, such as public safety, the safety of law enforcement officers or the
investigation and prosecution of criminal activity. The employment, salary, promotion or
other compensation of a law enforcement officer or attorney may not be dependent on
obtaining a quota of seizures. It is the policy of this state that law enforcement agencies
ensure that, in all seizures made under the Act, their officers adhere to federal and state
constitutional limitations regarding an individual's right to be free from unreasonable
searches and seizures. This includes, but is not limited to, the use of illegal stops, coercive
consent searches or a search based solely upon an individual's race, ethnicity, or national
origin.
The Act provides procedural safeguards for those claiming or having an interest in the
seized property, including bona fide lien-holders, lessors and innocent owners and co-
owners. The Act complements the other options available to Florida law enforcement
agencies in addressing criminal activity and is a valuable tool to be used by Florida law
enforcement agencies to assist their law enforcement mission. The Act is to be wisely used
as a valuable weapon in Florida's law enforcement arsenal.