[jimrandomh]

I think you have a pretty fundamental misunderstanding of what civil forfeiture is about. Civil forfeiture would mean the police take the car, don't return it to the rightful owner, and don't charge the thieves with a crime.

Police don't need civil forfeiture to hold evidence in advance of pressing charges, or to recover stolen property and return it to its rightful owner. They only need civil forfeiture if they intend to keep the car for themselves.