My last post illustrated your constitutional right to remain silent when confronted by police. Following up on that theme is a report from the morning news. Eric Bugg was stopped for following a tractor trailer truck too closely. Once he was stopped, a Nashville police drug interdiction officer saw two duffel bags in the back seat. The officer asked to search his car. Surprise. The officer found 29 pounds of marijuana in the car. Bugg goes off to jail charged with a drug crime and his bond set at $150,000.00. Bugg is facing at least 2-4 years in jail plus a fine. What could he have done different ?
A citizen has a right to refuse a request to search your car or truck. There is this constitutional protection called the Fourth Amendment. It prohibits an illegal search and seizure. Sure , there are exceptions like the officer smelled the weed. The teaching point is you do not have to consent to an police officer’s request to search your car.