A new bill in the Minnesota Senate is aiming to build on recent reforms of civil forfeiture — a controversial process that allows police to take and keep someone’s property even if they are never charged or convicted of a crime.

The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee voted on Wednesday to send S.F. 4625 to the full Senate.

The bill, authored by Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park), would require someone to be convicted in criminal court before law enforcement could permanently take their property, in most cases.

Lawmakers passed reforms in 2021 that restricted the use of the civil forfeiture process and barred police from seizing small amounts of cash and property.

A report from the State Auditor last year noted a decline in forfeiture cases, but advocates say many of those who can least afford it are still faced with hiring a separate attorney to fight the seizure of their belongings in civil court.

“This is not the process that Minnesotans are due, that they deserve,” said Alicia Granse, a former public defender and staff attorney with the ACLU. “SF 4625 will situate forfeiture where it should be — the criminal system where people have access to counsel, the right to a prompt hearing, and will not have to pay exorbitant fees to retrieve their property.”

The Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association opposed similar reform efforts in the past, but the organization has not yet responded to a request for comment from 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS about the current bill.