If you have a broken tail light, will the police search your car for drugs?

Question

Me and my bro are straight edge and we were talking about how lame drugs were and somehow led to this debate. He said if they saw a broken tail light, they'd have the right to search your car for drugs? It doesn't make sense to me but w/e.

Answer 1

No.

Answer 2

I think they would only search if they had a reasonable suspicion that you could have any in your posession. It may change a bit overseas but in Australia driving with a busted tail-light can get you fined, so who knows, when they pull you over and if they're having a slow night they may just search you.

Here (australia) police can pull you over and search your car whenever they want to. I think in America, as mentioned earlier, they'd need a reasonable suspicion to go from booking you with a busted tail light, to searching you for drugs.

Answer 3

They check for drugs only if there is a reason to do that. (The smell....Drugs in the open....Report of you having drugs)

Answer 4

They can, yes.

Answer 5

They can and probably will if given any provocation or suspicion.  If you are very polite and agree to their request promptly, maybe they will be nice in return.

Answer 6

if they have suspision they can

Answer 7

no they won't search just b/c of your light but they will search if they think it's drugs in there.

Answer 8

Cops do not have the right to search your vehicle without any reasonable cause. Watch these videos...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqMjMPlXz...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY3UOERrk...

Answer 9

no, they can only search your car if they suspect something. if they smell drugs or alcohol or if you are in a known drug area then they can. this happened to me. they said i was in a drug area. i was going home.  

Answer 10

If the cops ask to search your car you can say no i'm in a hurry to get to work, e.t.c, but if they have prabable cause they can. (See, smell, you have been caught before, got a tip) If you refuse they can hold you for a certain amount of time and they will have to get a k-9 unit to sniff the outside of your car. If the dog is altered (smells drugs in your car) that gives the cop cause to search your car.

Answer 11

Okay,

Here's the deal.  The Police may stop your vehicle for a broken taillight-no problem.  However, the mere fact that the Police have a valid reason to stop you does not give them automatic access to search your car.  Vehicles can be searched for a number of reasons:

1).  Consent.  The Police may ask you if they can search your car, even if there is no real reason for them to suspect something is wrong.

2).  Probable Cause.  The Police may search your car without your consent or a search warrant if they have probable cause to believe their is something illegal in the vehicle and it is in a public place.  This is called the Carroll Doctrine.  They may even search locked or closed containers.

3).  A search warrant.  The Police may search your vehicle if they have a search warrant.  This may be done even if you aren't present.

4).  Search Incident to arrest.  If someone is arrested from inside your vehicle the Police may search the lungable area in the vehicle for evidence (this is usually limited to the passenger area).  it doesn't matter if it is the driver or a passenger.

5).  Protective Frisk.  If the Officers have reason to believe there is a weapon in the car and the occupant(s) pose a threat to the Officers they may do a protective sweep of the car for weapons even if you don't consent.

6).  Abandoned.  If you abandoned your car the Police may search it.

7).  Inventory.  If the Police need to tow your car and they have a standard policy for this they may search your car for an inventory before towing it.  Anything illegal found in the vehicle may be used against you.

I might have forgotten one but those are the usual reasons.

Here's a link to the Carroll Doctrine I mentioned since a lot of people have a hard time believing it (Carroll v. United States):

http://supreme.justia.com/us/267/132/cas...

Be careful of the flex your rights videos one person posted.  The videos are pretty lame and can get you in trouble if you try some of that stuff with an experienced officer (such as trying to block him from searching your car when the inside of it smells like pot-see Carroll Doctrine).

Answer 12

No, they must see of smell drugs or alcohol from outside the car.  Then there's probable cause and they will search.

Answer 13

No they wouldn't as long as you didn't hide the drugs in the boot then you'd be fine.

Answer 14

nah unless you give them probable cause they cant search **** and if they ask you to get out the car and you know they cant smell weed or lq tell them noooooooo

Answer 15

they can serch your car under Probabal Cause as stated in the constitution, but unless the tailight was smashed or looked weird in some other way, probably not.

Answer 16

Not unless there was some reasonable cause to make a drug search, like the smell of marijuana in the car.

Answer 17

they can yes

Answer 18

     The so called "Plain Sight Doctrine" can give police the right to search your vehicle if there is in plain sight in the vehicle something that is illegal.  That means the officer cant move anything or open anything to determine whether the thing is illegal or not.  See Harris v. NY  The plain smell doctrine can serve the same function.  If there is an odor of marijuana in a vehicle, or of alcohol on a drivers breath, this gives cause for a search not only of the vehicle but of the person of the driver and probably any and all passengers as well..  Other than those two instances, separat4e probable cause is required for any further search of the vehicle.  It should be noted that the driver and/or the registered owner has standing to refuse to consent to a warrantless search of the vehicle.  See Rakas v. Ill.  But, there are exceptions which allow for inventory searches in the case of a lawful arrest and/or an impounded vehicle.  See Opperman v. SD

Answer 19

only if you give them reasonable cause. IE acting weird, paranoid, nervous, etc.