MONTGOMERY — A bill passed this week by the Alabama Legislature to require law enforcement to report and track the seizures of property connected to drug dealing or other crimes should help reassure the public that law enforcement is using the tool of civil asset forfeiture in a responsible manner, according to a press release from the Alabama District Attorneys Association.

The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, adds to the Alabama Forfeiture Accountability System, which was created by district attorneys and law enforcement earlier this year to track and report on asset forfeitures in the state, said Barry Matson, the ADAA’s executive director.

“Alabama district attorneys, ALEA,chiefs of police, county commissions and sheriffs created the nation’s most comprehensive database for asset forfeiture,” Matson said. “We are excited to now have those progressive efforts codified into law.

In the bill, district attorneys also sought the additional measure to publicly identify all asset forfeiture dollars and expenses by separating them into audited accounts with detailed individual line-items, Matson said.

“This new measure will create unprecedented transparency that will identify the source and expenditures of all asset forfeiture monies,” he said.

On March 1, district attorneys across the state began collecting data related to asset forfeitures – including filings, pleadings and court rulings – and submitting that information to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center database. ACJIC, a division of ALEA, is compiling the data and will make reports to the governor, lawmakers and the public. The University of Alabama’s Center for the Advancement of Public Safety created the AFAS database, which is operated by ACJIC.

Matson noted that the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, the Alabama Sheriffs Association and the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as state and national organizations

including the Alabama Policy Institute, the Institute for Justice, the Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), all contributed to the creation of AFAS.