The Size and Scope of Philadelphia’s Civil Forfeiture Machine

In 2011 alone, Philadelphia filed 6,560 civil forfeiture petitions. By contrast, Allegheny County (the second largest county in Pennsylvania, where Pittsburgh is located) filed roughly 200 civil forfeiture petitions from 2008-2011.

Each year, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office files civil forfeiture petitions against 300 to 500 homes and other real properties.

In 2010, Philadelphia filed more than 8,200 cash-forfeiture cases worth an average of $550 each. A sample of more than 100 cases from 2011 to 2012 reveals that the median amount of cash seized was only $178.

The Revenue Philadelphia’s Civil Forfeiture Machine Rakes in

From 2002 to 2014, Philadelphia averaged $5.6 million in annual civil forfeiture revenue.

Philadelphia’s forfeiture machine raked in over $72 million from 2002 to 2014. By contrast, during that same time all of Pennsylvania’s 66 other counties took in $102 million combined.

Although Philadelphia’s population is smaller than Brooklyn, New York and Los Angeles County, it brings in twice as much civil forfeiture revenue as these two combined.

From 2002 through 2014, Philadelphia seized and forfeited 1,248 homes and other real properties, 3,531 automobiles and other vehicles and over $50 million in cash.

How Philadelphia Spends Its Civil Forfeiture Proceeds

On average, Philadelphia’s forfeiture machine revenue equals almost 20 percent of the Philadelphia DA’s general budget.

Philadelphia spends over 35 percent of its forfeiture revenue on salaries, including the salaries of the very officials doing the seizing and forfeiting.

From 2002 to 2014, Philadelphia spent almost twice as much forfeiture revenue on salaries ($12,315,340.43) as all other Pennsylvania counties combined ($15,712,597.91).

Philadelphia spends none of its forfeiture revenue on community-based drug programs.

Philadelphia’s Civil Forfeiture Machine Stacks the Deck Against Property Owners