YES or NO when asked by police for consent to search? What do YOU say? [POLL]

[gnossos (OP)]

I've heard varying opinions on this topic... I like to consider myself fairly well informed - at least more than the average person - about how to deal with those smarmy fuckin pigs, but this is something I hadn't yet had to deal with on my own until now. At first I was automatically, nervously agreeing to the search because in my experience with cops, they're gonna do what the fuck they want whether you agree to allow it or not.


C:-)
Might sound dumb, but I often attribute my sheer luck with police encounters to watching EVERY episode of Cops in existence. Idk, it's just one of those "know your enemy" things.

• 5 Reasons You Should Never Agree to a Police Search (Even If You Have Nothing to Hide)

[nick]

Kinda depends what I have on me at the time.

[Esoteric Anhydride]

I was once in a car that got pulled over and searched for no real reason, aside from being in an "ethnic" neighborhood. The car owner/driver consented to the requested search (maybe the car had some history, idk), which was maybe a little dumb considering there were a few mail packages that she said had some roxies in them. The packages were in a shopping bag in the front seat, and the cop didn't give that shit a second look. When my friend consented, she said she wasn't even thinking about the roxies, she was way more concerned with whether or not there was anything else in the car, as she's a dopefiend and she said she thought there might be a soda-can cooker in the car, which thankfully never turned up. Cop didn't search our persons, just the car, and found nada so he let us go.

Interesting little predicament there. I wasn't nervous at all as I wasn't aware of the roxies nor the phantom cooker until after the fact. I still don't know if that cop had a legal right to open that mail, my guess is probably not without a REAL good reason tho, so maybe transporting your shit in a stamped & addressed envelope is a good idea? Maybe someone has a better idea about that than I do?

[Chip]

I use the same hiding spot. I put my stash in the most unpleasant item of rubbish in my car.

I try to always keep some rubbish in the car, not because I am a slob but for this very reason.

I like the idea of hiding my baggie in a half eaten hamburger.

you see, most self respecting people draw the line at going through the garbage - these guys aren't looking for vital clues regarding a murder investigation so I'm counting on that fact.

I know that if I was them then I'd draw the line at getting my hands too dirty.

my friends also have a few stories about how the cops have missed that spot too.

hide in plain site.

remember this kids, bloody tissues were another favorite but tissues are dangerous; I have accidentally thrown or flushed away perfectly good drugs on many occasions.

feel free to take my idea and work on it. it might sound disgusting but disgusting us good here. get creative, it might just avert a major disaster.

[MoeMentim]

I've also hidden drugs in fast food bags & such, never gotten searched when i did it so can't say it worked or didn't. I've heard that a lot though so i wonder if some cops are keen to it?

[Chip]

good idea. if you ever find some GHB/GBL users and talk to them about such things then you may learn that they have the best drug for avoiding all suspicion.

an almost empty bottle of clear lemonade make the best situation possible.

who would think that a little bit of undrunk clear liquid in a discarded bottle would be the main event ?

it works every time. it's just not on the radar except for now since I opened my big mouth.

[theSWPK]

"Sorry officer, but I'm right in the middle of -insert family crisis, not involving a hospital that can be called,
 And verified- and I just don't have the Time right now."

This is saying no in a non sketchy way.

[Snoop]

Once I stepped out of the car, nearly just as we pulled over...

I left the lock on, on purpose and let it swing shut behind me.

Of course I was told to get back into the GD Fucking Car NOW! (A sensible response to such behavior by a PIG)

But.... Wait.... Officer; I'm locked out of my ride. OH NO! WHATEVER SHALL WE DO!?!?

I ended up in cuffs on the curb... But access was just not happening w/o a couple calls to AAA or a Slim Jim, or something.

But in this instance, it became an issue of a locked up and fully running car (With a couple grams of dope inside.) It became a waiting game....

A few of his buddies showed up, and they actually tried to FORCE entrance... Until Sarge showed up, then they stopped. (Maybe Sarge has the dash-cam, or maybe this fucking guy didn't play.) Either way, it stopped.

And I was just sitting there, going on 2 hours..... Then the fucking hounds were ferried in.

I was just fit to be tied by then, game over... That dog must have circled my ride like one hundred and twenty eight fucking times.

I began to regret this whole ordeal..... Like, "Fuck! I'm cramping up here. Maybe I should just give in..." And I realize, oh yeah. I'm locked out also.

I don't know WHY THE FUCK in the Greater Los Angeles Basin they didnt/couldn't get AAA or their own Engineers or what-the-fuck-ever people out there to gain access if it was big enough a deal to them to keep this shit up for sooooo long.

Eventually.... I was cut loose with a car that extinguished all of it's gasoline, and I was locked out of, in hostile territory, broke and on foot.

Eventually, I got to my home and my spare key (after realizing that my house keys were with the rest and broke in) Got a lift to my ride and back to my stash with a Jerry Can of gas in hand.)

Got in started it and started driving home.... God was I sick by the end. But Goddamn it it was a FUCKin thrill to a guy like me to get away with it.

Anyway..... So yeah.

Lock yourself outta your ride if you want to keep the oinkers out. 

[onewayonly]

Dude that is a great story snoops.

That's what I miss about opiiphile was all the great stories.
Only people that have lived this life can understand actually what the fuck we are talking about. Trust me I having been there times 10

[hanna]

"No, I don't consent" and in the same sentence, "Am I under arrest and am I free to go?"

Say it nicely. Don't ever get confrontational. They can't hold you there at the roadside for indeterminate amounts of time waiting for the K9 unit. If you're not under arrest and you've fulfilled the paperwork, tags, insurance, valid license, you can't be detained unless you are under arrest.

[FreedomOrBust]

Sorry, a bit OT, but sort of related, how do you guys dispose of your junk-related waste?
Critical question, as it will definitely affect (effect?) the outcome of a search.

 I have a varied routine that involves dumpsters, cemeteries, gas stations, and random, trash-strewn parking lots.  Rarely if ever do I use my own trash cans...

-- never the same place more than 1 in 3 times.

-- make sure there is nothing in there that could be traced back to you (I don't try to wipe fingerprints, but I may start doling that,since my fingerprints are on police file, as I'm sure is true for at least a few of us here).

-- Mix unrelated trash in to obscure the purpose of the junk-related trash.  Of course, if you're shooting, this won't help much.

-- never, ever, ever, travel to business meetings with junk in your briefcase (a near-horror story covered in a separate thread)

[Michael]

I've never ever been asked if it was okay to search. They usually don't phrase it as a question and thus leave it to you to know for yourself that there's actually a question involved. Like "I'm going to conduct a search of your car" and if you say nothing, that's you saying yes. The average person assumes it's on the up and up and so says nothing. You have to protest and say no. Often they'll push it anyway. It's the same as when I'm being arrested and taken in. They're asking me shit about the case and I tell them as the first thing out of my mouth that I'd like to speak to my lawyer before making any statements. No old buck. Just put it politely. But still they ignore it and keep questioning me. Hoping I'll say something.

Legally once you've asked to speak to your lawyer the interview is terminated and they're not meant to peseter you. But it's your word against theirs in court and they'll claim you never asked. I once got raided and while they were going through my stuff I was laughing because they came about 2 days before my payday. There was no chance of any drugs being around that late in the week. Besides I don't usuall save anything. I'll buy and use as needed and not keep it on me. It only leads to using excessively for me. Anyway, I'm chuckling and at this point I hadn't been read my rights and so it was essentially informal and off the record. There was no written statements or recording. I basically laughed and told him he wasn't going to find anything and that they were wasting their time. Apart from that, we spoke about three sentences. He remarked about my file photo and said I was looking much thinner (i.e unhealthy) and I can't remember how I responded but I said something about methadone and that being the cause. Anyway this lead to them using some of these statements in support of the case. Nothing of substance was found in my house, but since they'd gone to the trouble of getting a warrant and had come on a bad day they were wanting to get me on something so they conjured a "manufacturing/distribution of A Class substances" charge. This was on the strength of a spoon (no residue or filters) a contaiiner of citric acid and a container of baking soda. No acetic anhydride found. No syringes or glassware with residue of AA either. Just those three was enough to hit me with a charge that carries a life sentence here.

I doubt I'll ever be able to get a decent job because of that one. Anyone looking at that on paper will imagine I had a giant clandestine lab operation going. How could I explain to them that it refers to the process of making a morphine tablet into something injectable in a spoon!? No lab. Just an oven and a spoon. They wouldn't believe me. Also the tacking on of distribution is insane too. I don't know how they get away with it

[dysmorphic]

I always say no. I tell them I have nothing to say to them. If they ask for I'd they get it and that's it. I answer requests with no or none of your business.