In the editorial, “Crimes grow with illegal gambling” (Star-Advertiser, Our View, Sept. 20), civil asset forfeiture is discussed in the context of recent gambling raids.

While I don’t support illegal gambling, this process is flagrantly unconstitutional, as it violates Fifth Amend- ment guarantees against being deprived of property without due process of law, which is exactly what civil asset forfeiture does. Right there in the penultimate paragraph of the piece, is a sentence that says it all: “… 26% of cases in fiscal year 2015 resulted in property seized but corresponding criminal charges never filed.” Obscene!

It typically takes years to get your property back, and no interest is paid. This is the legacy of a Third-World police state.

Steve J. Williams

Makiki

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