Film Screening 

# *When Cops Become Robbers* 

### Produced by Andrea Fuller & Patrick Reasonover 

Date and Time 

November 5, 2025 4:30 - 6:30 PM EST 

Location 

Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 

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##### Featuring 

[![Clark Neily](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Clark%20Neily.jpg?itok=kOJs7hwY)](/people/clark-neily) 

[Clark Neily](/people/clark-neily)

Senior Vice President for Legal Studies, Cato Institute

[ 

](https://x.com/conlawwarrior) [ 

](mailto:cneily@cato.org) 

![Dan Alban-circle](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2025-10/Dan%20Alban-circle.jpg?itok=nrIsamwH) 

Dan Alban 

Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice

[ 

](https://x.com/DanAlban) 

![When Cops Become Robbers_16x9](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/2025-10/When%20Cops%20Become%20Robbers_16x9.jpg?itok=KbnBgiPF) 

**Please note: The film screening is in‐​person only and will not be livestreamed. Registration is required to attend.**

This powerful documentary exposes how civil forfeiture laws allow police to seize cash, cars, and homes from Americans who are never even charged with—let alone convicted of—any crime. Through compelling real-world cases, the film reveals a perverse incentive system where law enforcement agencies keep what they seize to fund their own budgets, putting profit ahead of justice. With billions forfeited annually and innocent property owners facing an uphill battle to reclaim what’s rightfully theirs, civil forfeiture represents one of the gravest threats to property rights and due process in America today. Don’t miss this eye-opening look at policing for profit.

#### *When Cops Become Robbers* Trailer 2025:

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#### Schedule

4:30 - 5:30 PM 

**Film Screening**

5:30 - 6:30 PM 

**Panel Discussion**

6:30 - 7:30 PM 

**Reception**

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).