About $500,000 in criminal assets forfeited in year’s time

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The state of North Dakota seized about $500,000 in forfeited assets from criminal activity in a nearly a year’s time.

In the first report compiling statewide data on civil asset forfeitures, nearly $522,000 in cash was seized statewide from August 2019 to June 2020.

Of that total, about $34,000 was returned to defendants and $10,000 went to North Dakota Child Support Enforcement. The remaining amount was forfeited and divided among the agencies involved in investigation and prosecution of the criminal cases, the report showed.

In 2019, the law was changed to require a higher standard of proof for forfeitures and a conviction to initiate forfeiture proceedings in court.

Some critics felt the new law didn’t go far enough to guard against so-called “policing for profit” in North Dakota, a practice law enforcement discounted, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

Bismarck Police Sgt. Mike Bolme, who handles the department’s seizures and forfeitures, said “we have a solid, fair system for asset forfeiture.”

“I just feel like we’re doing it right in North Dakota, and after the changes, I think it’s even better,” he said.

Chief Deputy Attorney General Troy Seibel told the House Judiciary Committee last month that his office welcomes the scrutiny.

“As we have always said, we do not think that this process is being abused by law enforcement, so we do not oppose transparency,”