TransparencyPolice & jail misconduct

King County Auditor finds Sheriff's Office relies on paper folders instead of a centralized database to track $9 million-plus in civil asset forfeitures, obscuring accountability

Confidence: Confirmed · 2 sourcesKing County · Sep 22, 2026

Subject of this story

King County Sheriff's Office

Also named

Oversight

King County Auditor's Office

What happened

A March 11, 2025 King County Auditor's Office report, 'Civil Asset Forfeiture: Increased Transparency Would Improve Accountability,' found the King County Sheriff's Office has seized more than $9 million in cash plus dozens of vehicles and houses since 2017 but keeps records primarily in case-specific paper folders, leaving it unable to readily determine basic program facts such as total cases, total value seized, or how many assets were returned to owners. The lack of centralized recordkeeping caused the forfeiture bank account to initially appear $1.5 million short when auditors compared it to spreadsheets (later reduced to under $250 after a manual reconciliation), and rights-to-challenge notices were found to be in English only and confusingly worded. The Sheriff's Office concurred with all 10 recommendations and said it had already begun implementing some fixes.

Sources (2)

SourceRecords are primarily kept in case-specific paper folders, which require intensive research to determine basic facts about the scale or scope of the program as a whole... this caused its bank account balance to appear $1.5 million short when we compared it to its spreadsheets.

KIRO 7 NewsOfficials stated they are pleased the auditor recognizes them as a leader in this field and acknowledged they've already begun addressing identified issues, including implementing digital record systems.

Response

King County Sheriff's Office

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

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