The Supreme Court told the police Tuesday they may not turn routine traffic stops into drug searches using trained dogs.
The 6-3 decision limits the increasingly common practice whereby officers stop a car for a traffic violation and then call for a drug-sniffing dog to inspect the vehicle.
The justices, both liberal and conservative, agreed that it was an unconstitutional "search and seizure" to hold a motorist in such cases.
More @ LA Times
It's about time the court got that right! Favorite cop trick #1. Stop a car, walk up and tap the tail light with flashlight breaking tail light, tell driver he was stopped for broken tail light, call in the dope dog, give the dog the alternate command to get him to alert
ReplyDeleteas if he has smelled drugs in the car, search the car, plant a small amount of pot or cocaine (probably from the cops own stash) and then arrest the driver for possession.
I spent a year on a grand jury and I suspect that some of the cases we heard were exactly that. Cops testimony: "I observed the car operating with a broken tail light,
the K9 officer happened to be in the area and responded as backup. His dog alerted to the smell of drugs..yada yada." I asked one officer if it would be possible to train a
K-9 to alert with an alternate command as if he had smelled drugs. The officer with a completely straight face said "Oh NO that's impossible to do". I smirked and he reacted to me as if he thought I didn't understand his response and wanted to ask a follow up question. I said "never mind officer, it was a rhetorical question" He didn't have a clue what that meant.
I think I figured out why you serve on the grand jury for one year. A year is about the time it takes to figure out what is going on and start asking hard questions.
CH
I think I figured out why you serve on the grand jury for one year. A year is about the time it takes to figure out what is going on and start asking hard questions.
Delete:)