The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office Asset Forfeiture Unit operates a unit known as the Vehicle Seizure Unit. The Vehicle Seizure Unit attempts to collect revenue for vehicles allegedly involved in the purchase of controlled substances, known as the PUSH-OFF program, and to solicit prostitutes, known as the OTE program. Police agencies located within Wayne County who have agreed to split proceeds with the prosecutor's office seize vehicles suspected to have been used for these illegal purposes, providing a piece of paper signed exclusively by the police officer.  No judge approves this process or is required to approve this process, which relies entirely upon the discretion of the police and prosecutor.

I have been in practice for 27 years, and I fought these cases for over 20 years. I always maintained that it was terrible and unconstitutional, preying on mostly poor people to steal their cars or for a fast cash-grab by offering to "settle" a case for $900.00. When it comes to a personal vehicle, there is not a lot of money at issue, and it costs more than $900 for an attorney to perform any real work. 

Even worse, when I first started attacking these car forfeiture cases, marijuana was illegal, and the smallest amount of weed would trigger a car forfeiture. This ultimately led to a case where I represented a pizza delivery driver who got a small amount of marijuana from a customer. The City of Westland seized her vehicle, and we fought it all the way to the Court of Appeals. While we were on appeal, the Westland Police Department auctioned off her vehicle, thinking that they were in the clear. They weren't. We won on appeal, and Drew & Mike joked about the case on WRIF! When we returned to court, the Westland Police couldn't justify their sale of the vehicle and got tagged with treble damages. They were ordered to pay three times the value of the vehicle. 

Circa 2021 or 2022, I spoke to attorneys at the Institute for Justice about a car seizure case. I offered what little assistance I could provide, and they filed a federal lawsuit attacking the Wayne County Prosecutor Office's car seizure policy. In August 2023, they were finally awarded a massive victory in the case of Melisa Ingram v Wayne County. This lawsuit attacked all of the various deficiencies that I had complained about for years, such as the lack of a speedy remedy, no judicial oversight, and the whole idea that everyone would simply "settle" a case for $900.00. (Within days of oral arguments on the Ingram case, I was in the 21st District Court arguing against an OWI car seizure, and I argued to Judge Richard Hammer that Wayne County was going to lose. Judge Hammer held that the OWI car seizure program was unlawful in my little local case, and weeks later Wayne County was told that they were wrong by the federal courts.)

Since the Ingram case came down, the number of car seizures has dropped significantly, but OWI seizures are still being prosecuted, and "reckless driving" car seizures are on the rise with the growing popularity of unlawful street races in Detroit. The way that these cases are processed, however, is illegal. No procedural or substantive protections are offered, and the Ingram case can be used to defend against these forfeiture cases. 

You may have been provided a number to call by the police.  Once the PUSH-OFF form is signed by the police officer, the police department will defer further proceedings to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.*  The Wayne County Prosecutor's office provides (313) 224-6688 and (313) 224-8790, but these telephone numbers can be frustrating.  You might have to call dozens of times.  The voicemail is almost always full of desperate messages from others like yourself who are being forced to pay for the release of a family vehicle.  

In order to procure the release of your vehicle, you must schedule an appointment and produce 1) your seizure notice; 2) your driver's license or other valid form of ID; 3) the vehicle registration or title; and 4) a certified check, cashier's check or money order. 

While you are frantically calling Wayne County in an attempt to get your vehicle, give my office a call to discuss your case.  I can defend these cases.  Please call (734) 591-0100 (Livonia) or (734) 941-8800 (Romulus).

*Inkster (in the past) and a few other local jurisdictions collect money directly from a vehicle owner to circumvent paying the prosecutor's office their "share" of the money.