Billy Clyde
Active Member
ALWAYS agree to the search. Saying no will make them suspicious and they will get a dog or something to find your boat. Saying No is a dam near admission of guilt.
Best to just agree and hope he doesn't follow thru with the search and or doesn't find it.
Disagree with "always." If you aren't presenting any articulable factors that justify further detention, and they don't have a dog already on site, they can't hold you up any longer than necessary to conclude the traffic stop. In layman's terms, if you say no, politely but firmly, and decline any additional questions, AND there isn't the smell of weed, etc., on you or the car, the traffic stop has to end. They can't hold you up while Bubba brings the dog.
I've never been asked for consent as an adult, but have made the personal decision long ago that I will decline politely if asked. Knowing your rights and insisting on protecting them in a professional manner is a huge deterrent to unnecessary intrusion into your privacy. Of course, I don't smoke weed, so there's that.
Also, wouldn't be the world's worst idea to have your own in-car camera recording everything, since police have had occasion in the past to be a bit creative on the stand when attempting to justify a search at a suppression hearing.