So Troutly, what the he!! did I do?
BTW, I did discover, if you work for a pharmaceutical company, and the cop asks what you do for a living.
DO NOT ANSWER! "I make drugs"
They dont seem to have much of a sense of humor about that.
Gary

There is a lot of "uncertainty" in the world today and it may be a small inconvenience to you/us, but I personally am glad to see that our officers are doing their jobs... we have no way of knowing and never can tell how the next "wacko" will try to pull it off!

I once heard a story about a guy that had a boat. I forget where he was, but I believe that he was in the keys. The coasties stopped him and searched his boat. They went so far as to take a saw to his boat and cut holes into the compartments. They never found anything and sent him on his way.

my question is why decides probable cause. if police are going on drivers reaction to questions is it, or is it not relativelly easy for the officer to say that he had cause even if there isn't.
I was stopped a few years back for no front plate. I was asked to get out of the car and without any questions they bring a dog to do a walk around. They didn't ask me if I had anything illegal in the car either. I asked why the dog was there and they said standard procedure. Clear to me He just wanted to f with me for some reason. Well sure enough the dog "hit." Bullchit If you can train a dog to sniff out drugs you can train him to bark on a discreet comand. anyways they now had reason and after the dog druelled all over my car and got hair all over my seats they tore my car to pieces to find nothing and sent me on my way with a front plate ticket.

I had a boat seach in Clearwater pass a few years ago. I was tied up to a sail boat about 7 miles out and then left and started in. As I got into the pass there were (2) coastie boats. As I passed the wife say's, "Hey, I think they want you to pull over.". So I turned the boat around and as I pulled up along side they yelled on the blow horn," Put your port side to our starboard side and prepare to be boarded". As soon as I tied up they told me, the wife and at that time my 6 month old son to step to the back of the boat. So 4 or 5 coasties stood beside the boat with their hands on their weapons whuile another coastie searched my boat. He found a duffle bag and asked what was in it and when I unzipped the bag to show him he say's, "Oh no, I can't look into personal items.". Excuse me but my boat is personal and they were pulling cushions out. He came to the bow and asked what the compartment was. I advised that I just purchased the boat and it was built this way and it was not a false compartment as he had implied. He then proceeded to say how he could drill my boat to look in the compartment. I then made the comment that he should only drill what he could afford to fix!!! I then stated that there were no drugs on this boat, after he treated me like a smuggler and he said, "Oh i'm not looking for drugs I was just worried that if you struck something this compartment could fill with water and you could sink." I then told him how the boat was built this way and it has a US Coastguard approved decal where they approved it. Anyhow after a long ordeal another coastie hands me a yellow form and has me sign it and tells me that if I get stopped again to show them the paper showing I had already been searched. What Bullsh*t !!! How can they search my boat compartments but can't look in personal items??? I was pissed..... Wardey

Maybe it is just me.....but I would never give anyone permission to search anything.

Let's see, maybe he missed the boat show and just wanted to take a long hard look at yours. You should be honered.

Darn it Lee!! Didn't you want to sell the boat. Why did you call the cops on him?

First-
Very few cops are gaylords. He had to check for weapons. Like the trout said, he wants to go home after his shift.

A few years ago, I was on the AC Expressway, heading to an Enduro with three dirt bikes in the truck. The cops stopped me for,"65 in a 55". Fine, I was going a bit fast. But then he says he wants to search the truck. Ok, I have nothing to hide.
Not only does he dig around in the cab of the truck, but he has us unload the three bikes and our gear on the side of the expressway. He finds nothing, obviously. Then he drives off and doesn't assist us with loading the truck up.
He did forget to write the speeding ticket though..

Oh, yeah, this was at 10:30 PM..

That is what I have always been told and always thought as well. However, in that situation, I am not sure what I would do. Seems like less hassel to just let them look for 30 seconds,, and send you on your way. The downside, I would do just what Lotoparty did, 2 miles down the road I would be pissed at myself for giving in. All deserved respect to the law, whom I support, but as a citizen you are afforded certain rights, and illegal search is a no no. I think these rights are greatly impinged at times thru basic intimidation, and that is wrong.

As Trout said, he knows before he even asks if you are a probable suspect, and this is fine. However, it is the cops who are sticking their chests out who worry me. At teh same time, I sure like when the process works and one less druggie pushing loser is behind bars. I guess it is a system of probabilities, give and take......and I don't blame you guys for frisking, never know whois carrying what.


Interesting thought......what if they want to Dog to search the boat....what do you do?? That dog will rip the hell outta the interior....