Wisconsin traffic stops cause many people anxiety. However, you may be able to handle the situation better if you have a comprehensive understanding of what rights you have in this situation. If the law enforcement officer who pulls you over wants to take a look through your car, he or she may try any number of different tactics to get you to give consent to the search. However, in many situations, you maintain the right to refuse the officer’s search request.
FlexYourRights.org reports that whether you have to let an officer search your car during a traffic stop depends on whether that officer has a warrant or something that serves as “probable cause” in the eyes of the law.
Understanding what counts as probable cause
Unless you give consent, the law enforcement officer who wants to look through your car needs to have something that counts as evidence of a criminal act before he or she may do so. For example, smelling an odor or marijuana wafting from your car during a traffic stop may give the officer valid and legal grounds for a search.
Understanding your rights in the absence of probable cause
If the officer on the scene lacks a warrant, probable cause or your consent, you do not have to let the search take place. Should you refuse the officer’s vehicle search request, be sure to remain courteous. It is wise to remain polite during all interactions with law enforcement to avoid making unnecessary trouble for yourself.
Once you determine that the officer does not have probable cause, a warrant or your permission to search your car during a traffic stop, ask the officer politely if you may leave the scene.
