Should police officers be permitted to search your vehicle without a warrant or

1. 61

   Jonesy0311posted 12 years ago

   Should police officers be permitted to search your vehicle without a warrant or your consent?
   
   The State of Indiana just passed legislation allowing officers to do this and residents are also required to grant access to their homes to police even without a warrant. What happened to the Fourth Amendment?

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2. 64

   NathanielZhuposted 12 years ago

   This essentially renders the right of privacy obsolete. They've already been given rights to enter homes without permission and now cars?!?!
   Why not just pretend the amendments don't exist if they're going to make one exception after another.
   
   As depicted in history, this is exactly what happens before a government goes totally corrupt.
   ASTF.TK
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   edit:
   I see you agree with me about the 4th amendment(as I just read your description)

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3. 79

   Adventure Coloradposted 12 years ago

   The court ruling stated that reasonable suspicion of a crime was grounds for the search.  So it isn't a carte blanche to search anything and everything, but a means to search when the officer can articulate why the person is likely to be engaged in criminal activity.

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4. 61

   Jonesy0311posted 12 years ago

   I feel I should add here that "reasonable suspicion" is very broad and means nothing in court. It only permits the officer to detain someone for a reasonable period of time known as "investigative detention" in order to substantiate probable cause. Here in New Mexico, even probable cause isn't enough to obtain a warrant and search a vehicle without consent. I suppose other state's residents are more than happy to give up their rights...or the terrorists will win.

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5. 88

   BizGenGirlposted 12 years ago

   No they shouldn't, but sadly, even if your state hadn't passed any new legislation, most police offers have the convenience of the "probably cause" loop hole.
   
   To answer your second question, the 4th amendment was pretty much thrown out the door when the Patriot Act was enacted.

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6. 60

   mkvealshposted 12 years ago

   wow.  Absolutely not.  I have heard of officers searching cars and finding money, which they confiscate just because it seems "suspicious."  We are not a military state, we are governed by written law (the Constitution).  Unfortunately, it seems that our government has started seeing it the other way around.

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7. 60

   nightwork4posted 12 years ago

   no way i would want that. never mind the 4th ammendmant, i'm canadian and i swear, if that became legal here, i'm going to jail the first time they try.

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