Ethical Considerations for Asset Forfeiture

Course Overview: Ethical Considerations for Asset Forfeiture, an eLearning course, outlines best practices concerning asset forfeiture, an important and vital law enforcement tool.  In addition to outlining the three criticisms of forfeiture: corruption, fairness, and a lack of accountability, the course explores the numerous ways that asset forfeiture fulfills the mission of law enforcement. State and local law enforcement survey best practices to cooperate with their federal law enforcement counterparts to ensure a successful and proper seizure and forfeiture of assets.

Asset forfeiture helps strengthen cases, weaken or dismantle criminal enterprises, and return assets to victims of crimes. Like all tools, law enforcement and prosecuting authorities must use asset forfeiture appropriately. Misusing asset forfeiture laws and ignoring asset forfeiture policies can have serious implications. The modules focus on ensuring a command of when and how to properly seize assets for federal forfeiture to protect the rights of the public while also protecting the case and the officer.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify some of the numerous ways that asset forfeiture fulfills the mission of law enforcement
• Discuss three criticisms of forfeiture: corruption, fairness, and a lack of accountability
• Identify best practices when considering the seizure of assets
• Explain how state and local law enforcement can cooperate with their federal law enforcement counterparts to ensure a successful and proper seizure and forfeiture of assets

Target Audience: Federal, state, and local law enforcement.

Cooperative Partners: This tuition-free online training was developed by the Program Management and Training Unit of the Department of Justice, Money Laundering Asset Recovery Section (MLARS).

Learning Hours: 1 hour including the pre-test and post-test.

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