Acknowledgments

• Library: Asset Forfeiture: Practice and Procedure in State and Federal Courts (ABA) (2014 Ed.)

Acknowledgments

I first met California Deputy Attorney General Gary W. Schons in 1987 when he was head of the California Department of Justice Attorney General's Office Special Prosecutions Unit in San Diego, California. Having recently authored the State of California Asset Seizure and Forfeiture Manual, he was crisscrossing the state holding small training meetings for prosecutors and law enforcement officers on how to implement the new law. I was impressed by his immense knowledge of the topic and his indefatigable dedication to the use of civil forfeiture as a tool in effective law enforcement. He subsequently authored two revisions of his state forfeiture practice manual and organized the first statewide asset forfeiture training conference in San Diego in 1989. For his efforts, Gary is affectionately known among California prosecutors as the "Father of California Asset Forfeiture." He is currently Training Director of the San Diego County District Attorney's Office Appellate and Training Division and a true friend and mentor.

Recognizing the need for consistent professional training, in 1990 Gary and the California Attorney General's Office teamed up with the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA) to hold a second statewide training conference in San Francisco, California. In organizing that conference, Gary called and asked me to be one of the presenters. That was my first opportunity of teaching asset forfeiture and has led to a wonderful long-term relationship with my colleagues and friends in the California law enforcement community.

The torch for asset forfeiture training and publications passed to the CDAA when Gary was promoted to Supervising Deputy Attorney General. Since 1990, CDAA has assumed the responsibility for statewide...