Hey, where’d my car go?

If you last saw it in the small town of Hamlet, N.C., it might have been impounded by the police on low-level charges and then sold for scrap to junkyards in a series of what appear to be irregular and under-monitored transactions. “In police files were two court orders, signed by a state district court judge, but otherwise left mostly blank. Those pre-signed court orders, which judicial experts say are extremely unusual and do not seem appropriate, appear to have been copied and then used to dispose of at least seven vehicles.” [News and Observer last November via Balko]

More from New York City: “TLC Wrongly Accused Hundreds of Being Illegal Cabbies in Past Year.” And when they accuse, they can and do seize your car, which you may have to go to a lot of trouble to get back. [DNAInfo] Related: “City investigators wrongfully accused a black man of being an illegal taxi driver after they spotted him dropping off his wife at work, believing she was a white livery cab passenger, a lawsuit charges.” [DNAInfo via Alkon]

3 Comments

  • “We’re From The Government. We’re Here To Steal Your Car.”

    I actually borrowed that tweetline from @Popehat, because it perfectly states what’s going on…

  • When these TLC inspectors lie to judges about statements made by the accused and their statements are proven false, what is the penalty to the inspectors? I must have missed it in the linked articles.

    If there is no penalty, then there seems to be no reason why these inspectors should let a valid defense get in the way of seizing cars and incurring unjustified expenses and inconveniences to their victims. Why is a situation where perjury is rewarded permitted to exist?

  • “Why is a situation where perjury is rewarded permitted to exist?”

    Because for unfathomable reasons, judges and juries generally refuse to accept that there is any possibility that a government agent/official would commit perjury unless they are confronted with undeniable proof of false statements.