What would make cops want to search your vehicle?

[AFC-911]

I ask this because I had recently just gone through it (Sat night).

I was on my home at 1am in the morning on a 4 lane road (2 on each side) with a ditch separating oncoming traffic. There is no left turn on my street, so I have to go to the next left and make a quick U-turn...I saw there was no traffic and blew the traffic sign

Of course, I got pulled over by two cops (2 squad cars). One took my driver's license and the other immediately asked if I had any weapons (I had none). I didn't even had the chance to get my registration or insurance. They then asked me to get out of the car, searched me, then proceeded to search my car.

What I found odd was the officer didn't even look in my trunk (he looked everywhere else).

Anyway, they thanked me for having a clean car (I was driving an old Corolla) and sent me on my way without a ticket.

I'm glad it turned out the way it did, but I'm just wondering about the reason for the search. Is it just so that the other officer had something to do while I was pulled over?

[fastfredracing]

Probably the fact that is was 1:00 am. They know that this is when the all the riff raf is out.
Don't we now have the right to refuse a search of our vehicle if they do not have probable cause?

[Joeaksa]

Because they can.... and get away with it no matter what you say.

[beemer7725]

Where are you from? That seems pretty crazy to me! They shouldn't be able to search your car without plausible reason.

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by beemer7725

Where are you from? That seems pretty crazy to me! They shouldn't be able to search your car without plausible reason.

They don't need a reason if you give them permission.

[AFC-911]

Originally Posted by Rot 911

They don't need a reason if you give them permission.

I don't remember if I gave them permission or not, to be quite honest...I might have, but it totally caught me off guard that it's a bit of a blur.

I do remember him asking me to step out of the car.

[patssle]

Don't we now have the right to refuse a search of our vehicle if they do not have probable cause?

Courtesy of some document ratified in the 18th century.

Just say no, they have no right to search unless they have a warrant. Unless they believe it has evidence from a crime.

[porsche4life]

Always refuse the search if they do not have probable cause...

Btw, a crackpipe in the open ashtray is probable cause....

[GH85Carrera]

If you & your car are clean, let em search and be on you way as a cooperative citizen. It is way faster and you did not get a ticket because you were cooperative.

You can refuse the search and I would bet you would have have gotten a ticket for the turn.

[Rick Lee]

A sore subject with me. Though I've never been asked if they could search my car. If they did it without your consent, you need to raise hell with their supervisor and find out what their PC was. Minus PC and your consent, I'd be looking into a civil rights complaint.

I've been pulled over twice recently and immediately told the cops where my gun was. I've probably been pulled over while carrying 10-15 times. They never seem to care and just write me for speeding. Obviously, the late night stop is just a pretext for fishing for something else, not cracking down on traffic law scofflaws.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

If you & your car are clean, let em search and be on you way as a cooperative citizen.

Very bad advice. Why not let them into your house to make sure you're clean too? How about a phone tap? I mean, hey, you have nothing to hide, right?

Look up that old thread about what people here have found in their own cars that belonged to the previous owners or their kids' friends and then tell me you know a cop will buy that story WHEN he finds it in your car.

[GH85Carrera]

I KNOW what is in my car, and sure as heck know what is NOT in my cars. I have never used drugs, and I don't drink and drive. My car is clean.

One of my friends refused a simple search on principal. The cops looked over his car and found one tire was at the wear limit, and one bulb on a side marker was out. He got two tickets for that, plus the speeding ticket was for 11 MPH over so that was bumped up reckless driving. He was on the side of the road for a LONG time and received a bunch of EXPENSIVE tickets. He had nothing at all to hide. He probably would have been issued a ticket for 9 over and been on his way but he did not get his car searched!

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by patssle

Courtesy of some document ratified in the 18th century.

Just say no, they have no right to search unless they have a warrant. Unless they believe it has evidence from a crime.

See there's the problem.

Most people that get pulled over and have nothing to hide will comply when asked.

People with something to hide will try to decline. Then the cops will invent probable cause, "I smelled marijuana, subject seemed intoxicated etc...." or they'll detain the individual till a K9 can get there and walk around the car hoping for a positive hit which gives them probable cause.

So the police are conditioned that refusal means you have something to hide.

[Gogar]

They want to search your car because it's more exciting to find drugs or somethng else that it is to write a traffic ticket.

It's important to know your rights at a police stop, but it's also important to realize that if you decide to push it and play, you need to commit and be prepared to be on the side of the road for A LONG TIME.

In your situation, since you were in that adrenaline nervous mode, it's possible you said yes to the search and didn't realize.


One of the "know your rights" suggestions about being pulled out of the car is: When you're asked to exit the car, take your keys out and exit the car, and lock the door behind you. It forces the cop to ask for consent to search again, or to ask the first time if he hasn't already. If he asks you "why did you do that", you tell him it's just habit.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I KNOW what is in my car, and sure as heck know what is NOT in my cars. I have never used drugs, and I don't drink and drive. My car is clean.

Total sheeple mentality. Go along, go along. Let the state have their way with you. Yoh papuhs pleeze.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Gogar

One of the "know your rights" suggestions about being pulled out of the car is: When you're asked to exit the car, take your keys out and exit the car, and lock the door behind you. It forces the cop to ask for consent to search again, or to ask the first time if he hasn't already. If he asks you "why did you do that", you tell him it's just habit.

Exactly.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

If you & your car are clean, let em search and be on you way as a cooperative citizen. It is way faster and you did not get a ticket because you were cooperative.

I'd rather get a ticket for not being cooperative.
I was stopped 3 times for "driving while young." New York State Police and Ohio State Patrol both did this - pull me over get us out of the car, ask a bunch of questions about what's in the car, assume I'm lying, take out my suitcase, sleeping bag, tool kit etc, spread my stuff all over the side of the road, and then just walk away. No "thanks for being cooperative" or "sorry we wasted your time." The whole purpose was to humiliate me.
Stopped once by a city cop for my motorcycle passenger not wearing eye protection. They went through everything we had, frisked us, went through her purse, then told me to drive to the nearest drug store (to get sunglasses - which are not legal eye protection) at 5 mph. Two up on a Honda 305 at 5 mph with the cop car behind us, lights flashing and siren blaring. Again - it was just to humiliate me.
It was a long time ago, but I still remember it. 40 years later, I'm richer, smarter, and know more lawyers. If a cop asked for anything more than license, registration, and proof of insurance, he can go F**k himself.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

One of my friends refused a simple search on principal. The cops looked over his car and found one tire was at the wear limit, and one bulb on a side marker was out. He got two tickets for that, plus the speeding ticket was for 11 MPH over so that was bumped up reckless driving. He was on the side of the road for a LONG time and received a bunch of EXPENSIVE tickets. He had nothing at all to hide. He probably would have been issued a ticket for 9 over and been on his way but he did not get his car searched!

The police are our friends. There are only here to serve and protect.

[GH85Carrera]

I guess I remember back when I was still living at home and we lived on a Air Force Base. If I was coming home late I had 50% chance of the bored Air Police officer wanting to search my car. If I wanted to drive home I had to consent. They always asked about all the camera gear I carried, and my one allergy prescription bottle. I never had anything to hide.

[Rick Lee]

I never have anything to hide either. I always have a gun, but it's legal and my CCW means 1) I have a clean record and 2) it's VERY unlikely I'll have contraband in my car. The fact that no cop has ever disarmed me makes me think they'd not even have RAS or PC for a Terry search. So that gives them no reason to search other than a fishing expedition. And I just don't like to help further the police state. I'm not gonna fight them on the side of the road, but I'm not gonna roll over and let them do it with anything resembling consent.