Can Police search your RV

[Txcirclem]

Please forgive this as my first ever post. But I had to comment.

I have always been of the opinion that an honest man is never afraid of a policeman appearing at his door.

Speeding and other traffic violations are exactly that. Violations. If you have been stopped for this, you have broken the law.

Please try to remember that most of the cops out there are doing a difficult job for little pay and even less respect from those they are serving and protecting.

[doc]

I am not sure this thread is just about being afraid of the police or about traffic violations - at least on my part. As I said earlier, 27 years on the job before retirement, I learned a lot. There ARE good officers out there and there are officers that will take a shortcut and even invent probable cause. There guys generally are not genuinely dishonest in the purest sense of the word. Some are yound and bored and working in a small department and want some action. Others are jealous of these 'rich' folks who can drive these 'big RVs and just want to mess with you for a while. They 'know you didn't get the money to buy that thing honestly'. Still others are genuinely wanting to do a good job and are looking for violations and probably ask to look in each vehicle they stop.
We were stopped in Arizona or New Mexico (forget which) where all the traffic was routed through a truck weight station. When they saw us and the Georgia plates they simply said hello and waved us on. Locals were not having such a good day, especially if they were hispanic. Yeah it was probably profiling but this was when it was not politically incorrect to do so.
My point is (and remember I am pro-law enforcement) that each time we agree to a search or a "mind letting me look around your rig?" we are giving up a little more of our rights as afforded by the Constitution. If they have probable cause to believe there is something amiss or I am committing some sort of crime, the do it right. My rights require them to do it correctly, not give them permission to do a warrantless search, especially sitting in the back of their car while they go through my stuff. Many of them on the street cannot articulate the PC to obtain a warrant and most cannot write an affidavit to get one. So they try to take the shortcut and walk over your rights.
There is certainly nothing wrong with your giving him permission to take a look, or even search. I might even do the 'take a look' thing myself with the right set of circumstances. It is indeed your decision and you are right, the vast majority of these guys work a dangerous, boring, poorly paid job and are as honest as a saint. It is the others one has to be on guard for. Travel safely

[JadedDancer]

Originally Posted by Billieg

What, do you think this is America? America disappeared about 30 years ago. Today they have a law for every law so they can do anything they want to. If they couldn't search your MH on a traffic stop every drug dealer would be driving a MH. All they need to say is you were acting strange (probable cause) and it's over.
A friend of mine kept his daily pills in one container to take through out the day. At lunch he pulled it out and took his diabetic pill. A cop saw this, walked over and confiscated the pill container. He then proceeded to handcuff my friend and take him to the station. They found 1 pain pill in the container and he was charged with having an illegal controlled substance even though he had a script for it. It seems that you have to keep any controlled substance in the script bottle "plainly" marked.
Once I was stopped on my motorcycle for not having my headlight on. I kept the bike running and the cop and I looked at the headlight. It was not on. I pressed the high beam switch and it came on. The cop was going to write me a ticket and all I said was "how am I supposed to know if the low beam burnt out in the daytime, give be a break" He then arrested me for resisting arrest. So much for freedom of speech.
Don't make me go on......

Wow, I never knew that (the part I bolded in your post above). Most people, myself included, have often carried meds in a small pill container for travel you can buy at a drugstore, and it clearly wouldn't be in the original container. Had no clue that was a violation or illegal.

As for the part about your headlight, the same goes for cars and taillights. I was stopped one night as a tail light was out. I guess it had just gone out, as I had a very recent inspection sticker. Got a ticket. I told the cop the same thing "officer, I really had no clue it was out".

I mean seriously, how can you know when they suddenly go out?

I think a lot of the tickets like that depend on how nice or 'mean' the particular cop who stops you happens to be.

[RickO]

Originally Posted by doc

We were stopped in Arizona or New Mexico (forget which) where all the traffic was routed through a truck weight station. When they saw us and the Georgia plates they simply said hello and waved us on. Locals were not having such a good day, especially if they were hispanic. Yeah it was probably profiling but this was when it was not politically incorrect to do so.

I completely agree with all of the points you made Doc... but I was of the understanding that racial profiling wasn't just "politically incorrect" but constitutionally illegal. Much of this thread centers around our constitutional rights and I do believe this is one of them.

Rick

[wirelessenab]

Originally Posted by Txcirclem

Please forgive this as my first ever post. But I had to comment.

I have always been of the opinion that an honest man is never afraid of a policeman appearing at his door.

Speeding and other traffic violations are exactly that. Violations. If you have been stopped for this, you have broken the law.

Please try to remember that most of the cops out there are doing a difficult job for little pay and even less respect from those they are serving and protecting.

I lived in a small town when young. By sending the buses out 2 hours in each direction managed to gather up 250 kids for the high school. Graduated with 49 in my class.

One day when I was 16-17 I was driving down "Main Street". Got pulled over and the Deputy gives me a ticket for having a taillight out. The deputy gives me a big ration of crap about the light out, how unsafe my car was, etc, etc for about 20 minutes.

A few weeks later I am driving down "Main Street" following a Sheriff and notice that one of his taillights is not working. I flash my lights, honk my horn. The Sheriff car pulls over, I pull in behind him, go up to his window. What do you know, it was the same deputy who had given me a ticket a couple of weeks before I tell Deputy Lindley that he had a taillight out, that his car was completely unsafe, etc, etc. Same as he had given me.

Long story short ...... I got stopped every time I drove for months after that.

Try to tell me about how Law Enforcement only enforces the law, if they stop you only if you have broken the law, etc, etc. I won't even tell the story about how they tried to plant a baggie of dope on me.

You can put me in the position of .... Law Enforcement has a tough job. They get well paid for the job and for their level of skill and education; good, even over the top retirement benefits; slack from the local prosecutors and judges when they overstep legality.

If we want to maintain our Constitutional rights we have a big job in controlling the so-called Law Enforcement community.

[wirelessenab]

Originally Posted by BpK9Miami

All I can say is "wow" . . .

I always wonder why people who have nothing to hide, fight so hard to be uncooperative under the banner of a right to freedom, guarded by the very people who are asking them for cooperation.

But this topic sure is educational.

You must lead a charmed life

[wirelessenab]

Originally Posted by dashdriver

Not necessarily true. I've done several searches for weapons and found drugs there instead. Never had a problem in court, because I did it the right way.

All the more reason to refuse a search by an LEO.

It is amazing what LEO's find in vehicles. In my personal experience stuff that I have never seen before. Drugs?

Since I don't do or have drugs in my RV I stand a much better chance of not getting charged by refusing a search and only having it done when more people are around, especially if some of them are not LEOs

[laj]

So much for home of the free

[W4RLR]

If stopped for an alleged traffic violation, I will be courteous to the officer, up to the point where he requests to search my vehicle. That's where I draw the line. I've told my children to assert their rights as well. My son was stopped for a burned out taillight, the officer became quite peeved when my son exited the vehicle as requested, but closed the door of the car and activated the power door locks with his key fob. It seems that opening the door can be construed as consent to search. My son sat cuffed for an hour until they brought a dog out to sniff around. The dog did not alert, and thus the officer could only write a ticket for the taillight.

Assert your rights or you will lose them. And don't even get me started on the TSA, whose security theater is ludicrous.

[wirelessenab]

Originally Posted by rray32539

If stopped for an alleged traffic violation, I will be courteous to the officer, up to the point where he requests to search my vehicle. That's where I draw the line. I've told my children to assert their rights as well. My son was stopped for a burned out taillight, the officer became quite peeved when my son exited the vehicle as requested, but closed the door of the car and activated the power door locks with his key fob. It seems that opening the door can be construed as consent to search. My son sat cuffed for an hour until they brought a dog out to sniff around. The dog did not alert, and thus the officer could only write a ticket for the taillight.

Assert your rights or you will lose them. And don't even get me started on the TSA, whose security theater is ludicrous.

Just my point above ... you will be safer if you have lots of folks around when any searching is done, preferably not all LEOs.

Not paranoid, just experienced.

[mythplaced]

Originally Posted by Txcirclem

........
I have always been of the opinion that an honest man is never afraid of a policeman appearing at his door.
....

Read post #120 and comment please....

[mythplaced]

Originally Posted by wirelessenab

.......
One day when I was 16-17 I was driving down "Main Street". Got pulled over and the Deputy gives me a ticket for having a taillight out. The deputy gives me a big ration of crap about the light out, how unsafe my car was, etc, etc for about 20 minutes.

.....

My SO has an answer for that...

Looking right at the cop asks, "If the fine is the same with or without the speech, I'll take my ticket without the speech please."

[mythplaced]

Originally Posted by rray32539

....
Assert your rights or you will lose them. And don't even get me started on the TSA, whose security theater is ludicrous.

[freebirdbus]

Originally Posted by Txcirclem

Please forgive this as my first ever post. But I had to comment.

I have always been of the opinion that an honest man is never afraid of a policeman appearing at his door.

Speeding and other traffic violations are exactly that. Violations. If you have been stopped for this, you have broken the law.

Please try to remember that most of the cops out there are doing a difficult job for little pay and even less respect from those they are serving and protecting.

Being stopped for a tail light out is being stopped for an equipment failure, not a intentional criminal act. Being stopped for a 'random safety check' is also not a stop for behaving unlawfully. Not wanting to be delayed or hassled by a curious LEO tromping around in my coach and handling my personal effects is not a crime or an attempt to hide one. Most cops out there are good ones, but not all are. Thank goodness that the Founding Fathers were not so naive as to think so, and afforded specific protections. I hope that you are never stopped by a cop overstepping his or her authority. But if you are, it might broaden your perspective.