dialcg

If I am stopped on the street by the police, when I am not acting suspicious and they perform a pat-down of the outside of my clothing (supposedly to check for weapons, and without my consent) and the cop feels a pipe in my pocket, can he then force me to show him what is in my pocket? THis has never happened to me, but I have been patted down before for no apparent reason in an encounter with the police before (in fact, at the time they did not even say anything to me, I was just talking to the cop and he reached down and felt my pockets- luckily I had nothing on me.)

-Chris Dial

MidniteToker

Nod, im pretty sure that if the cop feels a pipe, he will not hesitate to tell you to remove it from your pocket. The rule pretty much goes that if a cop searches you, and it's a legal search, then anything he finds can be used against you. Patdowns are legal b/c cops have to know if they're in danger from weapons, etc. Thats the easiast loophole the cops have, so its best to avoid it by leaving your gear somewhere more difficult to search if at all possible.

Slightly Stoopid

[quote]Originally posted by dialcg
[b]...I was just talking to the cop and he reached down and felt my pockets- luckily I had nothing on me.)[b]

That is obviously not a right thing for that cop to have done. That is stupid, expecially since he did have RC. Either that or he is gay, cause if a cop reached down for my pockets without saying anything i would back away from him, and probaly leave. Or maybe ask if i was being arrested, cause you do have the right to walk away if you aren't being arrested or detained

I can't wait to hear Nightshifts side of the story.

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Slightly Stoopid
"Before you knock it, try it first. You will learn that it is a blessing and not a curse"
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Niteshift

"I can't wait to hear Nightshifts side of the story."

I rarely give my side of the story...I give the judges side.

I think I'll sit this one out so it doesn't appear that I'm trying to "maybe they are trying to scare us by *maybe* exagerating the power of the law. in every thread that comes up.

Randøm_

C'mon, Niteshift, if you don't respond then how can I argue with you . (Don't let one suspicious member create a complex.)

Ok, here I go ..... for whatever reason you are searched, if a cop finds something he/she can suspect is contraband ... your best bet is to be cooperative, because being cool may get you out of it, otherwise you're going to jail. Whether the search was reasonable will be dtermined by a judge. You can express your interest on why you're being patted down, but if they are going to search you ... your best bet is to not tick them off ... ya know the drill. If you will be arrested, may I suggest you invoke the right to keep your trap shut.

Where Niteshift and I are likely to disagree is that cops often violate your rights, and judges will throw it out if the cop does, but you still got that trip downtown and bond, etc.

Moral to the story, if you must carry (MJ) then carry joints.

CheebaKing

Well I oftan feel in danger when i'm out in public. Maybe i should be allowed to search whoever i "think" might be potentially dangerous. I can understand when it comes to legitamate car stops but doing it randomly in public is ridiculous.

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I'd love to...but last time I went I never came back.

Slate

Time to get back in the mix.

Dialcg,
The pat down is done for officer saftey. On several occasions I have stopped individuals and recovered handguns from them. I absolutely couldn't imagine what the final outcome could've been if I didn't have the right to search everyperson I legaly contact.

In response to the, "pipe in the pocket" question, I am a department and court qualified expert in possession of MJ. Due to my credentials, if I am searching you for weapons and I feel something that I can determine to be illegal, then the scope of my search is then broadened to include controlled substances and paraphernalia.

Is there a certain degree of guessing involved when I feel a something illegal in someones pocket . Nope! I have to be 100% sure that what I just felt is actually what I thought it was and I have to articulate why I broadened the scope of my search.

Greenman

What they think now, and what they think when they are looking at a cop with a quarter in their pocket will be quite different I assure you NS. They can either choose to listen and question, or choose to dismiss out of hand. They must live with those concequences.

Peace

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Niteshift

"What they think now, and what they think when they are looking at a cop with a quarter in their pocket will be quite different I assure you NS"

Yeah, you're right...........sometimes face to face tends to change the dynamics just "a little"