This week, both the state House and Senate passed legislation that would dramatically reform civil asset forfeiture in Tennessee.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a very significant change in civil asset forfeiture," state Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah, told his colleagues in the House.
A multi-year NewsChannel 5 investigation exposed problems with Tennessee's "policing for profit" laws.
Those laws let police take cash from drivers if they were suspicious that the money was drug money.
In some cases, people lost money they had been saving for years.
Under the reform legislation, individuals who are not charged with crimes would get a court hearing to try to get their money back.
The law would create a presumption, for the first time, that cash is legal.
Instead of those people having to prove the case was legal, it would be up to the police to prove it wasn't.
And if those people have to hire a lawyer and if they win, the police agency would be forced to pay their attorney fees.
Lawmakers credited NewsChannel 5's reporting.
"One area that needs to be thanked was Phil Williams," said Rep. Mike Sparks, R-Smyrna. "Channel 5 did a great investigative reporting on this a few years ago. Many times the media does get it right."
Carter agreed "that report drove a lot of this."
But he also gave credit to some new district attorneys who were elected in the wake of NewsChannel 5's reports.
The bill, which was supported by the conservative Beacon Center of Tennessee and the ACLU, now goes to the governor for his signature.
Special Section:
NewsChannel5 Investigates: Policing for Profit
