Law enforcement took more stuff from people than burglars did last year

Law enforcement took more stuff from people than burglars did last year - The Washington Post: "Here's an interesting factoid about contemporary policing:
In 2014, for the first time ever, law enforcement officers took more property from American citizens than burglars did. 
Martin Armstrong pointed this out at his blog, Armstrong Economics, last week.
Officers can take cash and property from people without convicting or even charging them with a crime — yes, really! — through the highly controversial practice known as civil asset forfeiture. 
Last year, according to the Institute for Justice, the Treasury and Justice departments deposited more than $5 billion into their respective asset forfeiture funds.
That same year, the FBI reports that burglary losses topped out at $3.5 billion.
...Still, boil down all the numbers and caveats above and you arrive at a simple fact:
In the United States, in 2014, more cash and property transferred hands via civil asset forfeiture than via burglary.
The total value of asset forfeitures was more than one-third of the total value of property stolen by criminals in 2014. 
That represents something of a sea change in the way police do business — and it's prompting plenty of scrutiny of the practice.