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I was driving through [midwest state] on an interstate freeway this weekend and came across a very interesting set of signs, about 300 yards in front of an exit. They were black on orange, just like construction signs.

If memory serves, they read:

CAUTION SLOWED OR STOPPED TRAFFIC AHEAD

DRUG CHECKPOINT 2 MILES

ALL VEHICLES SUBJECT TO SEARCH

After the predictable first "Oh, fuck!" thought, I remembered I wasn't carrying. And then I remembered reading a story some years ago in a mainstream, Reader's Digest-like publication about the cunning and inspired ways the police were "winning" the war on drugs. Among the examples was a story about signs indicating a drug checkpoint ahead while LEO watched for cars pulling illegal 180s, tossing stuff out the windows, or exiting the freeway. Then I remembered the 'safety check' I was caught in about a year ago... there wasn't any warning, no signs, just over a hill and there's Johnny Law waving everybody over.

A quick Googling showed that this cheap shuck-and-jive by LEO is not uncommon in the midwest. No small share of bloggers and constitutional rights sites have taken notice (and umbrage) at this uninspired con that skirts around the prohibition of actual search points. And there's more than a few accounts of people that took the exit and were pulled over for an improper lane change or failure to yield or wearing sunglasses at night or somesuch bullshit.

So... by all accounts, if you see a sign warning of a drug checkpoint ahead, be assured that it's a warm pile of crap – a lame attempt by the cops to induce panic and resulting unthinking actions. Stay cool and keep driving. Don't take the exit, don't flip a bitch, and don't toss your stash.

Anybody else run into this scam paid for by our tax dollars?

apologies if this has been covered before... just trying to spread the word

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Tommy_Chong

we have a lot of the 'just over the hill' checks around here, lots of hills to hide over too

i got through one not more than a month ago, no license too.
he just sorta peeked in the window, did a sniff and checked for seat belts. walked to the back and made sure the tags weren't out of date.


they did an interstate one a few years ago near here, it was on the news that night saying that is just how they do it, a few hundred yards before an exit. cops all along the woods at the exit identifying cars tossing crap. they would then make them go into a parking lot at the end of the exit to be ticked/ arrested and searched more

should have seen the big boxes of stuff they showed on the news. guns, knives, machetes, needles, you name it



T_C

burndt

Back in 99 when i was in Myrtle Beach for spring break, on the way back we saw the exact signs & we we're carrying . Needless to say we were very nervous and made a split decision not to pull off at the next exit and dump....I'm damn glad we decided not to cause there was no checkpoint on the interstate, but there certainly was off the exit!

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Posting Guidelines

AUP

no smell, no sell, no tell = no cell
SAFETY FIRST
RIP KMH

nark-o

this last 4th of july weekend, me and ms nark-o are in my truck going to town. i get pulled over, i get out of my truck and meet the officer half way......he says you are going kinda slow(40mph in 55, no traffic and country road) and you touched the white line. he followed me to my truck for me to get out the paper work, if i would have been burning, he would have smelled it for sure, because he almost stuck his head inside the cab. i didnt receive any citation. but, thats why i dont burn and drive.

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Snowball

Actual search points are prohibited? I thought driving a vehicle on public roads pretty much gives the right to search you and it whenever/wherever they want.

Thanks for the warning. I'll try not to freak out if I see signs like that but probably no way to avoid it even though I rarely carry anything.

Skip Intro

Nope, not quite. They cannot search your vehicle without your consent. BUT! If LEO claims to smell something suspicious they may detain you until they either have a canine on the scene (whose alert is widely-accepted probable cause to subsequently search the vehicle) or a search warrant from the local courthouse. And LEO is free to set up safety or sobriety checkpoints, which are ways to fast-forward their way to a legally sound search on a volume of vehicles.

As paper-thin as the 4th amendment is these days, it still exists. Your car is private property and thus guarded against 'unreasonable search or seizure'.

Our definitions of unreasonable may clash with those of the courts and typical LEO practice, although i think ours are more closely in line with common sense.

Be careful, be smart, and be cool.

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HellRaiZeR

Im happy to say in Canada, for the most part, smell does not give an officer the right to search the vehicle.
See the entire story here

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Trancerdancer33

Not sure if this depends on your state but I know that out here in CA.... smell= probable cause. No need for the canine... definitely had this happen before. Good thing it was a joint... and long gone... and all the important stuff was in the trunk... which they didn't search. Scary as hell though.

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Trancerdancer33

Hey there you go Hellraizer... one more reason Canada is far more sane than the USA

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GreenDragon2k

Thats interesting; I was pulled over in CA and the cop said he smelled marijuana; had me step out of the car and demanded to know if I'd smoked marijuana. Threatened to bring dogs on me several times and performed some kind of field sobriety test. Finally let me on my way with just a speeding ticket after I repeated "no sir" to him, a couple times with a straight face.

No search involved The dog threats were fierce. Empty threats none the less.

I wonder if they did an illegal search on you trancer or if things have changed. Or maybe I got lucky...

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