A Lincoln County, OR narcotics team has filed the first lawsuit challenging Measure 3, the Oregon Property Protection Act, which passed with 66 percent of the vote in this past election.
The act reforms current civil asset forfeiture laws by requiring a criminal conviction before authorities can seize property. In addition, the proceeds from such seizures would now go to drug treatment programs instead of enriching the law enforcement agency that makes the seizure. The new law takes effect today.
The lawsuit, filed by the Lincoln Interagency Narcotics Team and Lincoln County, contends that the new law contains too many provisions and violates the state constitution’s requirement that two or more proposed constitutional amendments be voted on separately.
David Fidanque, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, said he believes that Measure 3 will be upheld by the courts.
“I certainly understand that law enforcement folks, and forfeiture counsel, who have been living high on the hog on these programs, are not happy,” he said. “But the reality is they were grossly out of touch with the majority of Oregon voters.”
“Oregon voters should be outraged to have narcotic officers wasting taxpayers’ money in an attempt to overrule the clear intent of Oregon’s citizens,” said Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director. “Talk about ‘naked opposition.'”
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director or Geoff Sugerman, political consultant who helped run the Measure 3 campaign, at (503) 778-5616.
