An Arizona Supreme Court ruling January 11 allows police to obtain information about people’s internet activity and identity without first getting a search warrant, making it easier for the government to see what most consider to be private information about their online habits.
Read More »Arizona earns D- for police moneymaking schemes
Police who patrol Arizona communities should focus on criminals, not cash. Current laws encourage the reverse, making everyone a potential ATM for cash-strapped agencies.
Read More »Legislature joins push to delicense, deregulate all sorts of professions and jobs
If there’s a professional license, there’s probably an Arizona lawmaker who wonders if it should exist.
Read More »Civil rights attorney: Using seized funds for prisoner study a legal gray area 
Profits from seized property are paying for the latest update to a study of Arizona’s prison population that prosecutors use to argue Arizona’s sentencing laws are working appropriately.
Read More »Wary of abuse, lawmakers move to tighten civil forfeiture laws
A wide-ranging measure to reform the state’s civil asset forfeiture laws would scrap the current standard that requires prosecutors to prove only by a “preponderance of the evidence” that the property is linked to a crime. That standard essentially means it is more likely than not, akin to a 51-49 percent balance.
Read More »Profits of Policing: Arizona asset seizures net $200M in past five years
State laws allowed Arizona law enforcement agencies to seize nearly $200 million in personal property during the past five years – almost all of it cash – from people who may never be charged or convicted of a crime.
Read More »Good intentions do not give government a license to silence speech
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, handed down just last week, was a unanimous victory for free speech. But that Reed was an overwhelming win has led some to downplay its importance.
Read More »U.S. Senators look at ‘perverse incentive’ of asset forfeitures for police agencies
A Senate panel said Wednesday that while civil asset forfeitures can be a valuable tool for compensating victims and funding police work, there are too many loopholes that can allow abuses.
Read More »Groups no longer required to disclose money sources to Secretary of State’s Office
A federal judge late Friday voided state laws requiring groups to register before spending money on campaigns - and with it, the reports they're supposed to file on who is behind all that cash.
Read More »‘Dark money’ may get darker if judge strikes down AZ disclosure laws
A federal judge is being asked to rule that “dark money” groups that now don’t disclose the source of their contributions can also legally hide how they’re spending the money – and on whose behalf.
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