When a police officer stops you for a traffic stop, he or she may ask to search your vehicle. Now you have the right to request a warrant and refuse to submit to a search. However, police officers can search your car if they have probable cause.

A police officer can search your car with sufficient probable cause or with your consent

Law enforcement agencies carry out tens of thousands of traffic stops per day. However, just because a police officer pulls you over does not mean they have probable cause to search your vehicle or confiscate your property.

Let’s say a motorist is stopped for a moving violation or expired registration. If the officer notices an illegal weapon or contraband, it may warrant a search of the vehicle. Additionally, if a traffic stop ends in an arrest or impoundment, law enforcement will conduct an inventory search of the vehicle. Even if probable cause for a search is moot in this case, the arrest or seizure of the vehicle warrants an inventory. Of course, anything the police find in an impounded vehicle may be admissible in court. Fortunately, law enforcement training covers the vehicle exception rule for warrantless searches.

“If a law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that a readily movable vehicle contains evidence or contraband, a search of that vehicle may be conducted without first obtaining a warrant. » In short, a police officer may not even need a warrant to conduct a vehicle exemption search, according to the law. Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).