About the Author and Acknowledgments
About the Author
David Warren is a senior research analyst on the Institute for Justice’s strategic research team, where he develops and conducts research in areas central to IJ’s mission. In previous roles at the Brookings Institution and Indiana University, David published research in a wide variety of areas, including energy economics, city and regional policy, and federalism. From 2015 to 2021, David taught Urban Problems and Solutions at Indiana University, where he introduced undergraduates to the nuts and bolts of local government, including concepts and research related to zoning, policing, education, and other issues that relate to IJ’s work.
David earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, a master’s from The Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in public affairs from Indiana University.
Acknowledgments
This report would not have been possible without the contributions of many colleagues.
In the early stages, Lisa Knepper, Dick Carpenter, and Jason Tiezzi helped shape the project. Lisa’s and Dick’s encyclopedic knowledge of forfeiture was particularly beneficial. Dan Knepper provided valuable contract review for the use of the IOCS data we purchased; Harrison Weeks assisted with initial checks of the process to identify unreported forfeiture cases; Hannah So helped confirm counties’ contingency-fee statuses; and Sam Gedge and Jack Nelson shared insights from their own experiences exploring IPAC data.
During the data collection stage, the intrepid Dana Rebmann downloaded hundreds of court documents and carefully coded information for both unreported and reported cases, building a large dataset for me to analyze. Jason Tiezzi helped develop and co-lead training sessions for Dana and helped answer tricky coding questions along the way. Along with Tony Laudadio, Jason also provided multiple rounds of coding review prior to analysis.
In the analysis and drafting stages, Allan Hegedus and Rose Quinlan meticulously checked every value appearing in the text, figures, and endnotes of the report. Allan also helped confirm counties’ contingency-fee statuses. And Allan and Rose both contributed reviews of relevant literature, news, and court cases. Elizabeth Liu and Henry Olsen produced diligent notes and summaries of legislative hearings. Jack Nelson and Evan Lisull proofread. Evan also checked and formatted legal citations.
In multiple rounds of draft reviews, I benefited immensely from the wise insights of Scott Bullock, Dana Berliner, Dick Carpenter, Sam Gedge, Marie Miller, Dan Alban, and Alasdair Whitney. Jason Tiezzi—whose name rightly appears many times in the acknowledgments—created the report’s clear visualizations, while Erin Nogle expertly designed the final publication and Rima Gerhard adapted it seamlessly for the web. And throughout the process, the indefatigable Lisa Knepper and Mindy Menjou provided heroic editing and management expertise while keeping all of their many other plates in the air.
To all of them, I extend my sincere thanks. I am lucky to work with so many talented people.