It started, as so many important stories do, with a tip that sparked a reporter’s curiosity.
A message FFP reporter Natalia Alamdari received last fall suggested the following: A man driving down I-80 had recently been pulled over for a minor traffic violation in Seward County. His car had been quickly searched. Then, when a few thousand in cash was found, his money was seized.
Natalia, reporting on and off for the last nine months, learned that this tip was in fact the tip of the iceberg. She learned that Seward County deputies frequently hand motorists an abandonment form and give them a choice. Sign here, give us your money and be on your way. If you don’t, we may charge you with a felony.
As her story shows, Seward County uses this process over and over again with motorists on I-80, seizing cash while not charging or convicting drivers of a crime. It uses it so much that the county accounts for a third of all state civil asset forfeiture cases in Nebraska courts. Natalia learned this by scouring court records. And then, by combing through county, state and federal financial forms, she also learned that Seward County has hauled in at least $7.5 million just in the past five years by using various forms of asset forfeiture.
Supporters of these seizures, like the county sheriff, say they harm the drug trade and help taxpayers. Critics say these seizures amount to little more than a law enforcement cash grab. And, in a weird twist, when Natalia called ex-state lawmakers she learned that they thought they banned this exact type of highway seizure back in 2016.
It’s a helluva story. It’s quickly become one of the most-read stories in our history. And it’s a crucial story because it drags a previously unknown reality into broad daylight and lets you, dear reader, decide what you think of it.
Here’s to curious reporters, and the tips that motivate them.
Gary’s Vietnam: He survived some of the deadliest fighting in the war. He made it back in one piece to Kimball, Nebraska, to the wide-open spaces he loved. And then the headaches started.
This weekend, nearly a half-century after Vietnam belatedly killed him, Gary Barker will get the recognition he deserves in Washington, D.C. — an honor that thrills his wife and sister. Correspondent Rebecca Svec with the story.
Brief Aside: I love weeks like this at FFP. A big, important and impactful investigation that one of our full-time reporters reported the heck out of. A feature story by a freelancer that tells a Nebraska family’s intensely personal story.
It’s the two sides of the mission of the Flatwater Free Press — investigative journalism, and stories that bind the state together. The type of week that makes me proud to be shooting this newsletter in your direction.
Questions wanted: Remember how I said that some of the best story ideas come from tips that spark a reporter’s curiosity? Email Natalia at [email protected] if you have your own experience with civil asset forfeiture or traffic stops in Seward County.
Have another type of tip that our reporters need to look into? Complete this form or reach our newsroom at [email protected].
Sincerely,
—Matthew Hansen, Executive Editor
Here’s what we’re into this week: News from around Nebraska
Every week we like to share great Nebraska journalism, no matter who made it. Here’s what caught our eye this week:
- This story got a ton of attention this week. McCook’s superintendent stood up at a school board meeting and said that a new state school funding plan will cost the McCook Public Schools $450,000 — and might force the school to raise local property taxes on residents.
Story by the McCook Gazette. - When a Lincoln police officer shoots someone, it’s rarely captured on a body cam, the Journal Star’s Andrew Wegley reports.
- In Omaha, police do wear body cameras … but that footage isn’t always shared publicly, The World-Herald’s Molly Ashford writes.
- They’re building a new house near Broken Bow. A … sod house. NTV’s Steve White with a story connecting the present to the pioneer past.
- After a raise was vetoed by Gov. Jim Pillen, Nebraska court interpreters are calling out of work and demanding better pay. KETV’s Joey Safchik has the story.
- Sarah McCammon, a public radio reporter who got her start in Nebraska and whose reporting I have long admired, has a book out. It’s a memoir of her religious journey. I’m pre-ordering today.
- A Bennington school board member says an LGBTQ club at the school is causing harm to students. But this club, and others like it, have existed at Bennington and in many other area schools since I was a teen. (A long, long time ago.) The World-Herald’s Lauren Wagner with good coverage from the meeting.
- And finally, a breaking story from nearby Iowa. It looks like abortion will remain legal there for the time being, based on an Iowa Supreme Court decision released Friday. Anti-abortion lawmakers may try to further restrict abortion access, as the Nebraska Legislature did this year, in its next session.
