City Of American Canyon Online Community Forums

I have often wondered what happens if an officer pulls you over and then asks if he can search your car and you say "no". Does the officer still have the right to search and if so why do they even ask?

Guest -

If you are pulled over for a traffic violation and there is no probable cause to search the vehicle, the Officer may ask you if he/she can search it. Basically by asking you, he/she is asking for your consent. It is called a consent search. There are a lot of different factors that can play into this. The search laws are pretty in depth and it would take a lot to explain the entire law, all the factors and all of the recent case law.

I hope this answers your question. Again the search laws are very in depth and there are always a lot of factors that can play into each situation.