Can police officers...

Can police officers search pedestrians?

In other wordings of the situation, can a police officer search a random person walking down the street? Does he have the right to?

 

If there is probable cause then yes =\

 

If they suspect something, they can.

Otherwise I think no.

 

They've done it to me :/ I wouldn't say they can but they do

 

Yah. I was just walking in school and the SROs pull random kids into there office and search them. Sro = student recourse officer

 

Chances are when you enrolled in your current school you signed an agreement stating that you agree to be searched while on campus. I know my high school had a contract like that. Just by entering my campus ANYONE had to comply with a search, teachers included. This also applied to anyone who drove on campus and their vehicles.

Although, in America, citizens have rights protecting them from random searches. Police can search you when they arrest you or ask for you to let them search you or your vehicle. No matter what you do or don't have on you, always deny permission to search. If in vehicle they can detain you, and if you don't give them permission to search they can call for a drug dogs. If the drug dogs alert (sometimes false alert) they do have the right to search you and your vehicle.

The correct way to handle the situation (i've found) is to deny search (no matter what you do or don't have on you) and ask "I'm I being detained, or am I free to go Officer ?" Be poilte, courteous and respectful. They are just doing there jobs. Either way nothing good can come of them searching your car.

 

In the US police can't randomly search you, but they can pat you down for dangerous weapons with only a reasonable suspicion - which is a much lower standard than probable cause. If during this search they can "plainly feel" other illegal material (drugs) they can seize it.

 

Just FYI I'm from Canada and I was just walking home from Mcdonalds. A cop stopped us and demanded to search us :/

 

Lawl, I guess this is a Toronto thing. Never happened to me in sarnia.


I'm pretty sure they can't just search you like that without probably cause, but what can you do really? Tell them no? Then they would just get physical...

 

Yeah really. They need suspicion to do it, his excuse for suspicion was that we were anarchists (This was the weekend of the G20). All of my friends said we were idiots for letting him do it, but its not like there we could have done anything to stop him..

 

Legally no, if they don't have suspicion, but they're cops so all they have to say is "we had suspicion" and no one questions why

 

True dat ^^.

But yes at my school you can get searched at anytime. With the exception of strip searching.

 

This all depends on what country you live in and what laws they abide by.

As we all know, police officers, like regular pedestrians, break laws all the time. This is just another one of those times.

In Canada, a police officer needs a search warrant to search a person or their possessions, be it their house, car, handbag, etc. The only exception to this law is if the person in question breaks a law whereas he needs to be retained, in which case the officer is obliged to search the person for weapons, drugs, etc. Mostly weapons and drugs.

Hope this helped!

 

If they feel suspicion they have the right to do it for sure, happened to my friend..

 

In Canada, I don't think they can. They need a valuable reason to search you and if they just come out from nowhere and search you up, you can say no and walk away..

 

no, they cant

 

With reason, they can't just say, stop, hands up, i wana check some thing.

 

Tbh, they are cops. They can do pretty much whatever they want when thy want, they will find a way around it or an excuse to do it. Ive had a couple run ins with the cops and some can be dicks, and others can be nice.

 

Not if they plan to take you to court if they find something