How is it at all legal for the government to demand payment for something when you are not convicted of a crime? It's effectively a 100% discriminatory, corrupt, and unaccountable tax. Completely reprehensible.
This isn't even the most absurd part about citizen/cop cash transactions: under civil forfeiture, they can take up to (iirc) $10,000 of your cash no justification or remediation path. Really, all they need is a traffic stop or a (suspect) smell of cannabis in the air.
There is no such limit, in most jurisdictions, as far as I know...and, if you happen to be carrying a lot of cash, it is viewed as evidence of wrongdoing.
Hell, Oklahoma has begun using a device that allows them to take money from debit cards, as well.
My position on police has evolved over the years to the point where I don't even really believe in "good cops", anymore. The entire system seems built to excise honest cops and reward bullies; I can't name a single whistle-blower cop who has kept their job, while the crimes they documented have generally gone entirely unpunished and the perpetrators often remain on the police force.
The only reasonable path forward I see is tearing the whole damned system down and starting over, with a focus on prevention, rehabilitation over punishment, restitution when plausible, de-escalation rather than military style raids, and overall a lot better training in psychology and community policing and less training in how to kill and maim people.
In my country we have a Small Claims Court for situations like this (under USD$2500), where you get to go before a judge and plead your case.
There are no lawyers involved and it costs nothing if you handle the entire case yourself or a small amount of money (that you can add to your claim) if you want to pay a bailiff to serve the papers to the defendant for you.