They have to have probable cause in order to search your car. They also have to have either your permission or a warrant. I would let them look under my hood just to make them feel stupid since my car is all stock. If I was modded, I would say no way.

 

sonic, how do you know this?

jason

 

the only way the police can look under your hood is with a warrant or your permission. even if you get arrested they cant search under there since its not in your immediate control. thats called "search incident to apprehension." if they have a warrant to search your car it called a complete search since they can look everywhere. ive seen dashboards disabled during these...they are very thurough. if you give them permission remember that you can stop the search at anytime by saying you want them to stop, then again if you do that itll make them wonder what your hiding and they will come back with a warrant. i know this cuz im a federal cop

josh

 

My friend is a CJ major and a now x-friends dad was pretty high ranking in the CHP.

In order for an officer to search your vehicle or person, they must have probable cause, and either your permission or a warrant. If they search your vehicle without either of these, the evidence (I think) can be thrown out of court if they find something. Truthfully though, if they ask to search your can and you say no, they can still get a warrant and will if they want it bad enough.

Here's some other fun tricks I've learned about that cops can do:

* They'll come up behind you on a highway and get in the lane next to you (either on the right or left). Then they'll camp in your blindspot while you drive on not knowing they're there. I've had this happen a few times to me, but I saw the cop before he got there. I love when they do that, because I just putt along at the speed limit, then all of a sudden look back and glare at them. They usually just take off at that point, knowing they're caught.

* Another is that they'll take a wad of paper towels and wet them. Then they'll put them over a headlight and come flying down the freeway. Drivers see the car in the rearview and have no suspicions that it's a cop since a light is out, and they keep on speeding on their merry way. By the time the cop has pulled that driver over, the towels have generally dried and fallen off.

Nice, huh?

 

Sonicsuby is right. But if you refuse for them to look under the hood then they automatically know you're guilt. At this point they can "call-in" a warrant which takes a few minutes and then search the car. All they have to do is call the Judge they have waiting on stand-by back at the courthouse. If they really want to search the car they'll find some way to impound the car and search it later so either way you're screwed.


Just pray that while you're pulled over something more important comes up on there radio or that there shift is about to end.

eric

 

You don't look all that old....

What exactly do you do and how old are you

 

You are interpreting the laws incorrectly. It is certainly NOT unlawful to refuse them to search your car, however they will probably just get a warrant anyway. If you've got time to burn, make 'em get the warrant.

 

A "federal cop" huh? Well it says he's about 24 in his profile so i believe him. I noticed his wife/gf looked about that age so unless she likes them young

 

I'm always afraid to deny a search because that's when the cop might just "find" a joint that he just flicked into the back seat. I try to be as accommodating as possible and so far it's kept me ticket-free.

 

Yeah, unfortunately, I have to agree Vinster02. Your car is screaming for attention. And although it's a beautiful car (that being an understatement, I don't know if you noticed but my jaw dropped after you popped your hood pins), you're f***ed if they open your hood.

Or are you? I don't know emissions laws that well. Maybe it's time for me to do some research. Are there parts you could swap back to stock or label correctly to get the car back to emmissions legal, or at least back to something less than screaming ILLEGAL AFTERMARKET MODIFICATIONS, upon visual inspection?

Other than that, I'd say put back the stock hood and change the body kit to something under 5-0 radar. That is, if you want to go ninja-stylee.

 

I'd laugh my *** off if they tried that on me. A good lawyer would get that charge dropped so fast it wouldn't be funny. At least for me he could..character witnesses > *

 

Never acquiesce to a search of your car and never sign a piece of paper that agrees to let them search your car.

A really good friend of mine got burned pretty badly - he had done nothing wrong - excpet buy a used car from a drug dealer/user. He didn't know that at the time.

He signed a permission to search private vehicle and then the cops brought in a dog that tore up the interior of the car, leather - the cops aren't responsible. Then the dog went crazy on a foam pad that lined the trunk - it had a small ammount hashish in it.

He was arrested and went to jail - he went before a judge and told his story and ended up in jail for about 2 weeks and on parole for 6 years! His house can be searched at will by police during his parole time. This was in Florida.

Don't ever sign a piece of paper that allows anyone to do a search. If they get a warrant, that's fine, you can't do much about it, but don't surrender rights.