Hello all,
On my way home from dinner I went through a Check Stop - the cop asked the usual questions - Where was I coming from, had I been drinking, etc.
While he was asking and I was answering he was scanning the interior of my car with his flash light - now I imagine that he was giving a glance to see if I had a half empty vodka bottle in my cup holder or something, but he spent most of the time looking at my dash area, where the radio is, heat controls, etc.
What was he looking for?
Possibly to see if there was a weapon in reach of the driver, or anything interesting in your ashtray.
Maybe a radar detector (“fuzz buster”) if they are illegal in your state?
He was looking for “probable cause” that could escalate the check point stop to a search. Drugs, drug paraphernalia, weapons, alcohol, obvious contraband, suspicious amounts of <random item>, etc., would all give the policeman probable cause to get you out of the car and search it thoroughly.
Where are you located and what is this check stop? I gather it is like a field sobriety checkpoint or something to that effect?
That’s it exactly, IAmNotSpartacus It’s a roadblock set up by police where they stop everyone going by allegedly to check for drunk drivers. That’s all I’m going to say about the matter.
EvilTOJ, exactly how are you in a position to answer on behalf of the OP? ** IAmNotSpartacus**, asked the OP a question.
Explain.
I’m in Alberta, Canada.
The Check Stop is just as you describe - the police are free to pull whomever they want over, get them out of the car and give a breathalizer or field sobriety test or whatever.
I’ve been stopped before (they’re very common in these parts - consequently we have the highest arrest and conviction rate in the country - or we’re all a bunch of drunks) and the questions are pretty standard - I’ve always been stopped during the day though. This stop was at night so it was very obvious where the cop was shining his flashlight to look.
Honestly, I thought he was wondering what radio station I was listening to.
I have no idea what EvilTOJ is on about - every Check Stop I’ve been through HAS been checking for drunk drivers - I’m not sure what s/he thinks they would be looking for otherwise.
Are there other kinds of Check Stops?
Maybe he had a quick look around the car and didn’t see anything so he was aiming the light somewhere near you to be able to see you without shining the light in your face.
We also have those to check for illegal aliens, but they are in the same places always, not random like drunk driver check stops.
IIRC there was a SCOTUS decision that permitted those types of stops (never minding the absolute lack of even reasonable suspicion to initiate the detention) because they were undiscriminatory and every body who passed through had to stop. I also seem to recall that drivers could not opt out or argue against the detention. Is this correct?
He’d have to kill us if he told us.
I know that the Border Patrol still stops everyone on Hwy 8 (I think it is) going from Imperial County, CA toward The Big City. If they’re in the right mood and you’re white enough, they might just wave you through.
Sometimes they’ll set up a couple of cars off a highway exit to check for seatbelts, expired registration or expired inspection stickers, (usually near the end of the month).
I don’t know what they’re looking for in the car, either - my best guess is just anything suspicious. I don’t know about the dash board area, though.
I don’t have a problem with Checkstops - don’t drink and drive, don’t get detained. Pretty simple.
There is a new way they make meth and it can be done in minutes in a soda bottle. Maybe they’re looking for a soda bottle. Don’t be surprised in the future when a pop bottle is cause enough to search for drugs. Don’t be surprised when you have to have I.D. to purchase medical cold compress packs.
Cops get bored just like anyone does in their job sometimes. I am not trying to be flip. My younger brother was a regular police officer and is now something similar as a Coast Guard Officer. He and his cohorts freely admit they just looked at stuff the best they could under the law just because they wanted to. They generally don’t want to terrorize people or abuse them but they are standing there in a uniform with a flashlight so they might as well try to spot something obvious.
One time I got stopped at 2 PM on a rural road so I don’t think that one was about DUI. Maybe that was due to boredom.
No cop wants to be the guy who let the pedophile drive through his checkpoint with a two-year-old tied up and dumped on the floor in the back seat of a sedan. Bad guys and good guys look the same, and drive the same sorts of cars. So, you look things over, constantly, repeatedly, and endlessly. Yes, they are suspicious of everyone. That’s the job.
Tris