what are the grounds for search of a vehicle during a traffic stop?
453959
Probable cause. The officer sees, hears, or smells something suspicious. You have every right (or at least you used to) to refuse. Then they can arrest you for disobeying a police officer and search your vehicle anyway.\n\nsome legal examples:\n Law enforcement officers may conduct a warrantless search of a vehicle if there is probable cause to believe that the vehicle contains evidence of a crime, and it is likely that, due to exigent circumstances, the vehicle will be unavailable for search by the time a warrant is obtained.  (Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 357 )\n\nwarrantless searches of automobiles are justified only when two factors are present: probable cause to believe that the automobile contained contraband, and exigent circumstances associated with the automobile. (Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. 132 )\n\nIf consent is refused, you must have reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity to detain. The reasonable suspicion factors must establish the reasons for the detention. You must be able to articulate each observation that is a potential indicator of drug trafficking or use. (United States v Dewitt 946 F. 2d 1497)\n\nFor more info on roadblocks, see my link:
696903
The same questions they ask me.  Drivers license and proof of insurance.  If I don't have that, it's get out of the car.....I'm toted off to jail and my car impounded till I can provide the documents that are necessary.  I've had them shine a light in my car and hold my art eraser till it was determined it wasn't contraband.  I got some deal on my ticket for disrespecting an officer because I busted out laughing while he was sniffing my eraser.  I've had my car searched for no other reason than an outed tail light.  I've randomly had to be subjected to sobriety tests and a pat down.  Been in a car in which we were pulled over because the police thought the driver "looked funny".  We agreed, but the police officer didn't think it was funny.  I have been pulled over as a youth and had my parents called to see if they knew where I was.  I have been repeatedly pulled over time and time again by a cop because I drove a van that was considered the "type of vehicle" a drug trafficer would drive.  I've been pulled over because they wanted to be sure I wasn't being abducted since the passenger was a black person.  I've also turned a corner without putting on a turn signal and been let go.  I've had police officers help me when I was stranded on the side of the road without a question asked.\n\nI'd like to know when you aren't required to have your license on you when you are driving a vehicle!  I thought that was a basic rule#1.
1157670
- Plant drugs on people\n\n- Convince you that you have to get out of the car or allow a search on a routine traffic stop. (You don't have to. However, if you refuse, they'll make you wish you had complied.)\n\n- Use unmarked cars for routine traffic stops. This is against the law. I have seen the code, and it prohibits this.\n\n- Arrest someone for a buddy. This happened in a small town: I know someone who was involved in road rage and police corruption all in one day. He accidentally pulled in front of someone. There was NO COLLISION. They chased him and ran him off the road. They yelled at him and said, "You probably don't even have insurance!" He DOES have insurance, but he was feeling feisty so he said, "Maybe I don't." The road rage guy then went to his small town buddies at the police station and lied, saying that my friend had done a "hit and run" on him and had no insurance. This was a lie, and ovbiously NEITHER vehicle was damaged! His small town police buddies ARRESTED my friend for a so called hit and run which never occurred!!!\n\n- I know someone who got a ticket for trying not to run into a police car. The cop was on the shoulder with his lights still on from having just finished making a traffic stop. The dude drove partially on the opposite side of the two way, two lane road, so as to give the cop room. The cop chased him and wrote him a ticket for driving on the wrong side of the road!\n\n- Drive on the wrong side of the road or violate other laws for reasons which are NOT emergencies. I saw a cop drive on the wrong side of the road just to talk to his buddy for a long, casual conversation.\n\n- Ride motorcycles side-by-side. The are supposed to ride straddled with the 2nd guy in behind and to the side so as not to run into one another. Many policemen run into each other this way and have been reprimanded for this by their superiors but continue to do as they please.\n\n-An old trick: When arresting someone on a traffic stop, they search them and take their wallet which they promptly toss into their car as it is about to be towed away. This means that the person doesn't have access to their ID or money while trying to post bail, check into jail, or retrieve their car from the pound!\n\n- They seduce someone into commiting a crime: There is someone drunk standing on private property. The police officer says, "Come here for a second..." and motion to them. The drunk person complies, walking OFF of the private property onto the sidewalk. They are now violating the public drunkeness law. They are promptly arrested, after being duped.\n\n- They detain a teenager for no apparent reason and make them stand next to their car for an hour or so, until it is curfew. Then they arrest them for violating curfew. Nice, huh?\n\nI am sure there are some really good cops out there, but unfortunately, MOST of them are at least moderately corrupt, if not totally. They know how to exploit the loopholes in the law, and don't always do so for the right reasons.
270079
Call the criminal courts building, they should be able to tell you where the traffic court is.
48249
Georgia has a law called "loitering and prowling."  While not verbatim, it states that a person that is in a place not normal and acting in a way that is cause for alarm is committing a criminal offense.\n\nTherefore, if you have someone riding slowly around a neighborhood at 3 a.m. where they don't belong then you have enough to stop them.\n\nAlso, the word probable cause is *WAY* overused.  The standard to perform a traffic stop is "reasonable suspicion".  Probable cause is required to write a ticket or to make an arrest.\n\nReasonable suspicion means that a reasonable person would think that a crime has occurred, is occurring, or is about to occur.  This is all that is required to make a traffic stop.
951380
The officers will not need his consent.  If they believe there is a reason, they will search the vehicle to make sure there is nothing in it that imposes the danger to the minor. (In the US, the "minor" is anyone who is under the age of 18).
580278
Go to website for your County Courthouse. Many counties allow searches
548242
You didn't say what state you're in, and that makes a huge difference.  Your question is (evidently) a little unclear for some folks, too...so let's see if we can clarify at least that part of it:\n\nIt looks to me like what you're asking is if the police can stop you for a traffic violation committed on private property.  As an example, maybe you're wanting to know if you can be stopped at the local hotel for not stopping at a stop sign erected by the hotel on their property, having a headlight out, or driving five miles an hour faster than what the hotel's signs say you should.\n\nIn California, the answer is generally no.  The California Vehicle Code generally does not apply to private property, though there are some notable exceptions (DUI, reckless driving, etc).  The examples I cited above are not illegal in California.\n\nIf I've got that wrong...and what you want to know is if you can be stopped on private property for a violation you committed on public property...the answer in California, and I'd bet in every state in the union, is yes.\n\nBut really, if you want a reliable answer you need to explain what state you're in, and if you're talking about a specific violation, you need to talk about that too.  There are just too many variables that can apply without any additional information.
883888
if a cop tells you to get out of the car then do it, but if he wants to search your car then he has to have a reason meaning proof of wrong doing.  Now if he smells alcohol or pot, then you are screwed, but if you have done nothing and he wants to search you for no reason, then tell him NO sir!  Ask him why he wants to search your car and ask what you did as the driver to make him want to search your car?  if he has no reason then ask for a search warrent.  You have the right to say no and if he doesnt have probable cause then the hell with him.  He will call the dispatch and nothing will be done, maybe
763845
Police stop people all the time for minor traffic violation with no intention of giving them a ticket. They use the minor traffic violation as probable cause to stop and contact you.\n\nOnce they have you stopped, they start checking for other more serious violations such as DWI, Driving While License Suspended, Odor of Drugs, Plain View Contraband, Etc. It also gives the Officer the opportunity to see who is in the vehicle and to see if they are wanted.\n\nIf the Officer did not give you a ticket at the scene, then I'm sure your were just warned. I can not speak for every state, but in Texas, we do not mail a ticket to you after the stop. We give it to you at the scene or not at all.\n\nIn Texas, we use minor violations to stop people and check their story out. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Mexico. If things don't add up, then we dig further. If everything seems to check out, then we send them on their way. \n\nRemember the Oklahoma City Bomber was caught on a traffic stop. As for Gunny T's answer, I catch a wanted person, drugs, or a DWI in about 1 out of every 10-15 traffic stops. So it does work.
363525
findlaw.com, NYS S 1172. Stop signs and yield signs.  \n(a) Except when directed to proceed by a police officer, every driver of a vehicle approaching a stop sign shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, then\nshall stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or in the event there is no crosswalk, at the point nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of the approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering the intersection and the right to proceed shall be subject to the provisions\nof section eleven hundred forty-two.\n\n  (b) The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign if required for safety to stop shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, then shall stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or in the event there is no crosswalk, at the point nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of the\napproaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering the intersection and the right to proceed shall be subject to the provisions of section eleven hundred forty-two.
339438
to run into with your body or your vehicle
470277
At an intersection, traffic lights for each direction are connected together and coordinated with each other based on specific criteria inputed by a specialist.  These criteria are accessed at and located in a "traffic cabinet" or metal box that is located near the intersection.  The specific criteria consists of such things as how many cars need to be waiting before the light changes, the time that a car waits before the light changes, the amount of time given for pedestrians to clear the crosswalk, etc.\n\nA car can be sensed by "loops" in the pavement or by cameras mounted on the signal mast arms, in the air.  Pedestrians can be sensed when they push a button, by camera, or automatically included in the traffic signal "cycle" or pattern of lights and timing.
917487
a cop can pull you over for anything... they can say your left back tire looks like it has less air than the others... but to search it, they can only do if your kids gives them permission or they have a warrant
793369
You must be careful when doing this. If you are standing in the street /road you can get a ticket for obstructing traffic. You must be on the shoulder/curb to be out of traffic.
797785
Any time the officer has a reason to have you step out of the car, the officer can perform a limited search of you and your vehicle. That reason can be something as simple as you acting nervous, moving around a lot, suspicious hand movements, aggressive attitude, or even if the officer makes it a standard procedure on every traffic stop he/she makes.\n\nThe U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the officer has a right to ensure his/her own safety when dealing with any member of the public for any legal reason. That means any time that an officer comes into contact with a person on any type of police call: suspicous person, domestic disturbance, disorderly conduct, traffic violation, etc.\n\nAccording to the Court, the officer can conduct a "pat down" search of the person, checking for weapons. This means the officer can pat down the outside of person's clothing feeling for weapons. If an officer feels anything that, based on his/her training and experience, could possibly be a weapon, drugs, or other illegal item, the officer can then go inside the pocket to determine the true nature of that item. They are looking for weapons, but if they find anything else, it'll stick in court.\n\nThe officer is also allowed to conduct what is referred to as a "wing-span" search of the vehicle to check for weapons. This search covers any area of the vehicle that could be reached by any occupant of the vehicle. If there is more than one person in the car, this will pretty much cover the entire passenger compartment of the car. It does not, however, include a locked glove box or the trunk, unless the inside of the trunk was accessible to a person inside the car (such as if the back seat was laid forward, leading into the trunk). The officer is checking for weapons, but if they find anything else illegal, it will stick in court.\n\nSo to answer your question more simply, yes, a police officer can search your car.
715214
The Wikipedia article on the 4th Amendment may help:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution\n\nThe Fourth Amendment bans unreasonable seachers and seizures and requires probable cause for a search warrant before the government or police can search and seize.  However, the police can search your car during a traffic stop (called a "Terry," stop) if they have a "reasonable suspicion."\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reasonable_suspicion