Excerpt from Attorney Ralph Behr’s Book. Street Smarts- Criminal Law 1.01 – Search and Seizure. Can the Police Search Me?

SEARCHES

100 ‘most asked ‘ questions

CAN THE POLICE SEARCH ME?

They CAN search you ONLY if…

1.  You agree to the search.

Your consent must be freely and voluntarily given, and not the product of threats, intimidation, force, or the threatened use of force.

2.  For “Officer Safety”

They can search you for weapons only IF the officer has a good reason to believe you are a threat to his personal safety AND ONLY AFTER you are lawfully stopped or detained.

3. After an arrest.

If a cop searches you without permission it is illegal, unless they have legal cause to search you.  And that is for a judge to decide….later.