Have you ever been pulled over and had your car searched by a cop?

Question

I did, I was so angry I was driving down a road late at night that I wasn't really familiar with so I was being very cautious. I got pulled over the cop thought I was drunk, and then when he discovered that I wasn't, he my boyfriend (at the time, husband now) get out so he could search it for meth. I was so angry, but he found nothing and we went on our merry way.

Answer 1

Yep, that's the way it is these days. When I was a teen the cop needed clear probably cause. Today they can claim mere suspicion as grounds for searching.

The Supreme Court has ruled that a driver does not have to allow an officer to search a vehicle in the absence of clear probably cause. But telling him "No" is bound to have you on the side of the road a long time. Full DMV check, full auto inspection and a ticket or arrest for any little thing that's not 100% kosher.

If you have nothing to hide, let 'em do it and get on your way. It has become a police state; the police are always right, you are always wrong. You can't win but you sure can lose big time.

Answer 2

This happens all the time. Most people give the cop permission to search. If he doesn't have permission, he is still allowed to search certain areas of the car without a warrant. And he can stall you while he tries to get a warrant.

I've had three cops ask to search my car and none of them did. I told them no when they asked permission. Then I had to argue with them for an hour, but they didn't search. (None of them had a reason either--I was sober and driving well, and had a job where I got off work after 11 pm--I think cops play the odds and assume anyone out at that hour is up to no good).

Answer 3

Let me tell you
If I didn't have some pull around these here parts I'd have a criminal record right now
Wanna know why?
One night i got pulled over you know I was speeding not a problem no biggie
So he wants to search the car i say feel free I got nothing illegal in it.
he does then comes the problem
afterwards, he's one of those real pricky types, ever meet one?
he wants to search us I'm gettin a tad more steamed by the minute
I try tellin him the county judge here is my 1st cousin
my Mom went with the county sheriff in HS
he dont wanna hear none of that
then he made his mistake he gets a little tooo frisky searching my wife
I promptly go right upside his head
ever been maced...owwwww
anyway he don't work in this part of the state no more he got transferred to a different post.
dontcha just love overzealous overbearing cops?

Answer 4

I have never even been pulled over. You know you can say NO, if the officer asks to search your car. If I were in your situation I would have said NO. It is your right and you did nothing wrong!! There have been news reports that people have been getting pulled over by fake cops and either getting robbed, raped, or even killed. I would never pull over for a cop if I was in an area I did not know of or if it were too dark. I would rather get written up for not pulling over. Scary....
but that sucks what happened to you.

Answer 5

I got pulled over at 2:30 in the morning after going to my girlfriends to watch movies and hang out...I was not drunk. He said I put my turn signal on a little to late when I made a left turn into my subdivision....anyway he was bored and looking to get drunks....these cops at that hour are a s s holes. They have nothing better to do but hope to hit the "drunk driver" jack pot because they cannot correctly identify what drunk driving looks like!

It makes me sick hearing they searched your car...that sucks big time!!! I just kept asking the cop over and over, "why did you pull me over?" I knew he was behind me for a while and I was driving extra perfect. I used a turn signal to turn left, but he said I hesitated before using it...what an arrogant a s s.

Answer 6

Unless he has probable cause to search your car, you have the right to deny a search. He can look inside the car with his eyes and flashlight, but he cannot actually conduct a search (including the contents of your trunk) unless he has a good reason to suspect there might be something there.

For instance if he sees empty baggies laying around, smells marijuana or meth smoke from your car, etc. he can search without your consent. But if he pulls you over for drunk driving and the breathalyzer and sobriety test prove you are not drunk, that alone does not give him permission unless he asks and you grant it.

Answer 7

Back in my Drinking Daze, I never got pulled over for suspicion of DUI. And I'll be the first to admit that I should have been. I quit drinking a few years ago, and since then I've been pulled over for DUI several times. I even had an accident, and got arrested for suspicion. I had taken the wrong meds earlier and that's what caused the accident. The charges were dropped.

Answer 8

My friend got pulled over two houses up from his house for not having a license plate on the back AND front of the car. It was pretty retarded. We also have an 11:00 pm curfew even though we never vandalized or caused any trouble to other people.

Answer 9

I had my car pulled over and searched once, but I wasn't in it. My son was driving some friends home from their karate class when they were pulled over. They had stopped in front of one of the boys house and he'd gotten out and was standing by the car saying his "good nights".

The cop had no probable cause to search the car or boys, so it was illegal. All he had to do was walk 10 feet to the front door of the house and verify from the boys parents who they were. Instead, he searched them and the car. He didn't find anything illegal, of course.

All the parents were steaming mad they treated the boys that way!

Answer 10

I have twice had drug dogs called on me when I don't do drugs and nobody in my car does. Must have been because I am a teenager and the people I was with were wearing black. That's a sure sign that there will be drugs in the car as everyone knows. Pigs suck. After searching our car one time he said, "is there any reason my dog would have been alerted?" Yet there was nothing in the car and he claimed to find ashes and seeds...