Equitable sharing

Equitable sharing refers to a United States program in which the proceeds of liquidated seized assets from asset forfeiture are shared between state and federal law enforcement authorities. A 1984 law set up the arrangement in which state and local police can share the seizures with federal agents. The program is controversial due to a perceived conflict of interest. With Equitable Sharing, in cases involving civil forfeiture, state police can "skirt state restrictions on the use of funds", according to New Yorker writer Sarah Stillman, meaning that local police can evade their state's rules against forfeitures or restricting use of forfeitures by bringing in federal officers. In 2010, more than $500 million was distributed through the program and over $5 billion since the program was born in 1984.