Do you know what your rights are
when a police officer asks to search you? If you're like most people
I've met in my eight years working to educate the public on this topic,
then you probably don't.
It's a subject that a lot of people think they
understand, but too often our perception of police power is distorted
by fictional TV dramas, sensational media stories, silly urban myths,
and the unfortunate fact that police themselves are legally allowed to lie to us.
It wouldn't even be such a big
deal, I suppose, if our laws all made sense and our public servants
always treated us as citizens first and suspects second. But thanks to
the War on Drugs, nothing is ever that easy. When something as stupid as
stopping people from possessing marijuana came to be considered a
critical law enforcement function, innocence ceased to protect people
against police harassment. From the streets of the Bronx to the suburbs of the Nation's Capital, you never have to look hard to find victims of the bias, incompetence, andcorruption that the drug war delivers on a daily basis.
Whether
or not you ever break the law, you should be prepared to protect
yourself and your property just in case police become suspicious of you.
Let's take a look at one of the most commonly misunderstood legal
situations a citizen can encounter: a police officer asking to search
your belongings. Most people automatically give consent when police ask
to perform a search. However, I recommend saying "no" to police
searches, and here are some reasons why:
1. It's your constitutional right. READ MORE
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