SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Police Department on Tuesday made preparations to host another asset seizure action—the department's first since November of 2019. The pandemic had prevented SAPD from holding an auction for most of the past two years, according to Sgt. James Smith.
"Normally we have anywhere from, you know, it could be four to six auctions a year," Smith said.
About 100 items are for sale, including designer brands like Yeezys, Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Additionally, kayaks, robot vacuums and power tools can also be found on plastic folding tables to be up for bid.
Smith said money raised from the sales go back to the department.
"The revenue that we generate, they can use that for the purchase training equipment. And it kind of saves us taxpayers all a little bit of money at the end of day," Smith said.
According to the State of Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, law enforcement can take cash and property they think may be related to criminal activities. Afterward, prosecutors file a civil suit against the property, not a person (for example: the State of Texas v. One Schwinn Bicycle).
If successful, police departments either get to keep or sell the items.
"There has to be a concurrent criminal charge, has to be a concurrent criminal charge," Smith said.
Civil asset forfeiture remains a controversial procedure, and, according to Liberty in Action, it's outlawed outright in North Carolina, New Mexico, Nebraska and Maine.
SAPD officials, however, believe the process could be deterring crime, particularly when it comes to drug cartels.
"90% of the cases we have are narcotics cases," Smith said. "And I will tell you, the influx with the cartels and their activity they've had just in this last couple of years, it's only increasing whatever we can do, even if it's just a little part to kind of curtail what the the the cartels are doing up here."
Smith said the items will go to the lowest bidder, so he expects everything to go.
The auction was set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, at VFW 9186. Smith said all bidders need is an ID, and they take either cash or credit card.