Frequently, I ask clients why they allowed a police officer to search them when they knew they had drugs on their person or in their vehicle. Often times, I’m told that they thought the police would search them regardless of whether they consented. While that may be true and you might not be able to stop the inevitable search, you give away a ton of defenses I can later employ if you consent to any law enforcement search.
When a client doesn’t consent, I’m able to get evidence thrown out because of an illegal search or detention. Consent to a law enforcement search is never a good idea, even if you know you are clean. I can’t tell you how many times I have had clients tell me they “forgot about a small amount of weed” they had in the car or “didn’t realize a friend had slid a bag out of his pocket”. I won’t even go into the allegations of police planting evidence (which does happen), because I know you get the picture.
Don’t ever be rude or resist (you are likely on video), but never consent to a search.
Some friends of mine developed a short fun quiz about knowing your rights when dealing with police. Give it a shot!
