sniffing
2005-01-25 15:38:44.893195+01 by Dan Lyke 0 comments
Sigh: Supreme Court rules that searches using dogs in routine traffic stops are legal.
"A dog sniff conducted during a concededly lawful traffic stop that reveals no information other than the location of a substance that no individual has any right to possess does not violate the Fourth Amendment," Stevens wrote.
In a dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg bemoaned what she called the broadening of police search powers, saying the use of drug dogs will make routine traffic stops longer and more adversarial. She was joined in her dissent by Justice David H. Souter.