Shot in the leg by a stray bullet, Milton Jones dropped his phone and tried to run. He was never arrested or charged with anything, but police kept his phone as evidence for four months.
Milton Jones finally got his phone back from the police in April of this year after hiring a lawyer. Police had legally robbed him. A new court decision could restrict this behavior, helping people like Jones.
According to Reason Magazine, the D.C. Court of Appeals has ruled that the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures extends to the length of the seizure. Before this, multiple appeals courts had ruled that police can hold items indefinitely.
Because the D.C. appeals court is in the minority on this issue, experts believe this decision could make it to the Supreme Court. If D.C.'s ruling sticks, it could set a national precedent restricting police from being able to legally rob people.
Police should not be able to violate our property rights. Stealing from people, arrested or not, in the name of evidence, is a crime against them, and it's time that changed.