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#22
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06-18-2014, 12:46 AM
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Re: Police Damage Truck During Warrantless Search for Drugs
Ok watch what happens...nothing. If you were correct in your theory then every anti-police lawyer would come running to defend this asshat. Where are they? Where's the outrage? Where's the trial where the officers get convicted? It's not going to happen, because it was a legal search. The pretext was the dog's alert. You can stand on constitutional theory all you'd like, it's no skin off my back, but don't be suprised when you get mouthy to the local coppers about your rights and they throw you in jail. Stomp you feet all you want, but the reality is the search was good. It was stupid, but still a good lawful search. Believe what you will, I think my 30 years of experience outweigh your hopes and theories. |
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#24
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06-18-2014, 08:58 AM
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Re: Police Damage Truck During Warrantless Search for Drugs
The people around here that have them usually have a lotta horses and those big, fuck-off trailers for hauling them that have massive sleepers in the front half. Pretty much a status symbol; being able to show up to a barrel-racing or roping event with one of those to haul your trailer with, instead of a regular-old $70,000.00 dually. |
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#27
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06-18-2014, 02:12 PM
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Re: Police Damage Truck During Warrantless Search for Drugs
with this case, however, it's a bit different considering that it was for a victimless crime, which is something warrantless searches are not meant to be used for. the point of a warrantless search is to allow police access to a potentially dangerous situation without having to risk lives by not acting swiftly due to bureaucracy.... not to bust through people's things because an officer claims they smelled weed (which could have been on a person walking by or could have been left over from people smoking previously...there was no evidence that a crime was currently taking place). it's about the same (imho) as a cop busting into a house because he hears a woman screaming. there could be a crime... or there could be a purely innocent reason for why there was screaming. screaming doesnt equal a crime... just like smelling weed doesnt equal a crime. the 4th amendment is suppose to protect against these kinds of things. |
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#28
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06-18-2014, 02:25 PM
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Re: Police Damage Truck During Warrantless Search for Drugs
the only reason he was within the law was because Florida (until recently...) didnt have legalized medical marijuana. in states with medical marijuana laws, what this cop did would be illegal since an odor in no way tells if a person is a medical user (protected by law and not to be prosecuted by the feds, per Eric Holder) or is illegally using the substance. now that florida has a medical marijuana law, cops will be limited in this type of action.
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#29
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06-18-2014, 02:32 PM
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Re: Police Damage Truck During Warrantless Search for Drugs
Yes...but it's complicated. There's what's generally called a Board of Control Claim. Since most municipal agencies are self insured, you must fill out a rather complex form and submit the damages to whatever division, chief of police, sheriff, etc. Then after taking so long that you've probably already sold the vehicle in question, they'll pay you for any damages. They do pay, but it takes forever.
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#30
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06-18-2014, 02:46 PM
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Re: Police Damage Truck During Warrantless Search for Drugs
Good point, but it isn't really correct...it's smart, but not necessarily right. The smell of marijuana by either the officers or the K-9 is enough to establish the pretext for a search. Now the legality of the local or state wide marijuana laws might apply here, but only after the search. The officers would be obligated to search to determine the legal quantity of the marijuana and whether it was a legal amount or a larger "trafficking" amount...the smell would only work for the mere presence of marijuana. In this case, had the officers found marijuana, they would seize/impound the truck, wait for the owner to show up later looking for his truck, determine if he had a marijuana license/permit, then determine if the amount of marijuana found during the search was a legal amount, then the officers would deceide to release the truck (no crime), cite (infraction level), or arrest (misdemeanor or felony level). This is way too much work/risk for the potential reward. Like I said before, they would have been better off using the dog to roam around the concert's entrance and conduct business there with everyone present. The fact that they had to break into the truck (unless the door was open) to conduct the search isn't so much legally problematic as it is a pain in the ass.
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