Law enforcement has the duty to ensure that everyone is abiding by the laws of the land and to apprehend those who don't.They have some level of authority to conduct searches or do what is necessary to identify any violations of the law.
However, there are also limitations to their authority. The duty to enforce laws should be well-balanced with the respect for individuals' constitutional rights. They cannot infringe on them and abuse their authority.
One of the basic rights enjoyed by U.S. citizens is the right to not provide consent to a search. Unfortunately, police officers can try to get around this and use tactics to trick people into giving their consent.
Use of Vague Language to Trick You Into Giving Consent
The police are fond of using vague and ambiguous language to trick people into giving consent to a search. While it happens in various settings, it is most commonly seen among vehicle drivers. What usually happens is the police officer stops a car for a traffic violation and does the usual things, like asking for a license, registration, etc.
While they have the vehicle stopped and the driver cooperating, they will usually go further and ask if there is anything illegal in the car. Of course, the driver will say no and at which point, the officer will ask something along the lines of “Well, you don't mind giving us consent to search then do you? You don't mind if we take a look in your car and search the vehicle, do you?”
There's a reason they ask these two questions simultaneously and in that particular order. They want the driver to answer either “yes” or “no”, which is very vague. If they say “yes”, are they giving consent to search the vehicle? Or do they mind that the officer takes a look in the car and searches the vehicle?
This set of ambiguous questions leads to ambiguous answers. But regardless, the police officer will interpret a “yes” to mean the driver has given consent. That is what they will write in their report, even if there was an apparent confusion in the language.
How to Get Around the Trick Question
In asking these trick questions, the police officers are expecting a “yes” or “no” answer. Drivers can easily get around it and exercise their right to not give consent by answering in a more detailed manner.
They should be very specific and say something to the effect of “officer, I know that you're just doing your job, but I do not consent to any type of search." This makes it very clear that no consent is given and can help the driver avoid getting caught up in the wordplay.
Comments
There are no comments for this post. Be the first and Add your Comment below.
Leave a Comment