Asset forfeiture laws in Kansas will remain in tact for at least another year.

Lawmakers have decided not to act on questions raised by an audit that was critical what it described as “vague” laws in the State regarding asset forfeiture. The audit conducted last summer contended that agencies take advantage of these laws and how they report and use the seized property from those suspected of committing crimes.

It’s a war on words, and it’s misleading – that’s the sentiment of Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf.

“The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is a big group who is behind this along with some legislators up there in Topeka, and they want everyone to believe that this a violation of everyone’s Fourth Amendment,” said Wolf.

Wolf argues that [they] want the community to believe that law enforcement is “taking things willy nilly” and he says that is “entirely wrong”.

“My guys that are out there that do this stuff, they are not going to seize something unless they can tie it to drug (illegal) activity; I can’t tell you how many loads of money they have let go down the roadway because they could not tie this stuff to drug activity,” said Wolf.

For now, law enforcement across the State can rest assured that no immediate changes will be made to the laws. A Judicial Advisory Committee has been asked to review potential changes – lawmakers are not expected to make any decisions until late this year or early next year.

Wolf has stated previously that the process is a deterrent to profitable crimes like drug trafficking and the monies seized are used within the agencies to alleviate financial burdens on the taxpayer.