I suspect the DoJ understood this and non ironically did not consider the problem of exploitation by corrupt cops to be a meaningful one. Because they're the DoJ. Many of them are or were basically cops themselves. It's very hard to recognize when your own people have become the bad guys. This is what we came up with checks and balances and separation of powers for, but I guess Congress is checked out on this one.
It wasn't an accident that abuse was not considered, it was intentionally designed this way, to keep local cop buddies happy and complicit.
It might actually also make things worse, as local cops only get a small kickback, they need to confiscate more to get to the same levels for themselves.
