Know Your 4th Amendment Right

Police are very knowledgeable about the Fourth Amendment, and are always looking for ways to use it to their advantage. You should know it too, especially if you’re someone with something to hide.

If you typically drive with illegal contraband then you should know about the Fourth Amendment and probable cause. The first thing you should know is that in America you are protected from unreasonable search and seizure by the Fourth Amendment; which protects you from police being able to shake you down whenever they feel like it. The United States Constitution requires that the police obtain a “General Warrant” before attempting a search. For police, there are ways around this. Probable cause is where known facts and circumstances, of a reasonable and trustworthy nature, are sufficient to justify a man of reasonable caution in the belief that a crime has been or is being committed. Basically this means that if circumstances make a cop feel like you’re doing something wrong, he can search you without a warrant. I read a great article that describes the sources of probable cause. I’ll sum it up:

Furtive Movements: this basically means that your movements appear suspicious to a cop. It looks like your are scrambling to conceal something. Cops see you do this and they’ll search you and your vehicle for sure.

Attempting to Flea: This is simple. You run you get searched.

Observation of Evidence: If a cop sees some little weedlets on your car seat, red eyes, an open alcohol container, or smells marijuana he’s pulling you out of the car to search your stuff. You have to think about what is visible in your car, and be sure that none of it is illegal.

Admitted Ownership: If you confess to doing something illegal, you are toast.

False/Improbable Answers: Lying will get you nowhere. Police are trained to ask questions and go deep into a story. So if you don’t know what to say, don’t say anything at all.

Presence in a High Crime Area: Rolling around in an area that is rich in illegal activity is will give a cop probable cause.

Association with Known Criminals: You ever hear the expression “you’re only as good as the friends you keep”? It really is true. It doesn’t matter if you have the cleanest record in the world. If you have a friend with you that has had numerous run-in’s with the law, chances are you are going to get searched too.

Past Criminal Conduct: Suppose you have multiple possession of controlled substance charges on your record. A cop will assume that since you got busted with drugs before, there’s a good chance you’re holding now.

Ultimately, a judge has the final say on what is considered sufficient probable cause. So even if you get searched and they find something, the case can still get thrown out if the judge finds that the officer’s probable cause claim doesn’t hold water; and there was no basis for the search.

Here’s a You Tube video that I found which gives some tips on how to behave if you are pulled over. It’s kind of goofy, but I think it will do a good job of putting together all of this probable cause stuff. Good Luck!

Traffic Stops Are Scary if You’re Smoking Weed and Unprepared

Since there’s been no progress in the fight for legalization of marijuana in my state, I have to break the law. The effects of marijuana work well for me, but it’s too bad that I’m considered a criminal for smoking it in my car.

Sometimes the day just calls for you to smoke weed in your car. For me, it’s those long drives that really gives me the craving. I guess I’m just bored. I understand that this activity is extremely illegal, however I never was good at letting the little things keep me from doing what I want to do.

I use a technique that makes me feel safe and allows me to enjoy my smoke in peace. It’s super simple. ONLY smoke joints in the car. Never use a bowl, bong, or one-hitter. The reason for this is in the event that you get stopped by the cops, you can discretely dispose of the joint. Disposing of a bowl can be a dangerous and difficult thing to do. And even if you smoked all of the weed in the bowl a cop can still charge you with possession of narcotics paraphernalia, or even possession of a controlled substance. Nobody but the state wins in that situation.

Picture this: you are driving down the highway and smoking the one and only joint you decided to bring on your trip. All of a sudden you see a cop parked in the median clocking speeders. He got you. As you pass,  you see that he has pulled out and it appears that he will soon be hot on your tail. Get rid of the joint now! You could dispose of it in two ways: 1.) toss it out the window. If you choose to do this, you better be sure that the cop is far enough behind you that he can’t see it fly out the window. The evening is the best time to toss out the window, but make sure to put the joint out first as you don’t want the cop to see the red-hot amber flying through the air. 2.) You can simply eat the joint. Be sure to have a can of coke, or something else to wash it down. This is the easiest way, but you have to make sure that the cop is far enough back to not see you do it. If he does see you, he will consider your actions to be furtive movements which gives him probably cause to search you and the vehicle. If you have a bowl in this situation, then you’re screwed. Ticket City.

Tips to smoking weed in your car:

1. Only carry ONE joint in the car
2. NEVER smoke from a bowl, or any other marijuana pipes
   
3. Getting stopped by police: toss EXTINGUISHED joint out the window if cop is FAR enough BEHIND
4. Carry a drink in case you have to SWALLOW it

We Do Not Endorse Under Age Drinking

As a kid I had to use some innovation with the presence of strict under age drinking laws.

The summertime calls for days being spent outdoors among friends, while knocking back a few cold brews. The problem is that if a cop sees you drinking a beer in a “no-drinking” zone, he’s going to come hassle and ticket you. So you can do one of two things: 1.) comply with the law, or 2.) outsmart the police. If you choose to comply then more power to you. Personally, I always choose the latter.

Here’s how I outsmart in this situation: pocket concealment. First of all, you have to have a beer bottle that is small enough to fit in your pocket.  Never attempt to conceal a beer bottle that is any bigger than 16 ounces, and certainly NO 40 ouncers. I recommend a 12 ounce bottle. Place the bottle in your front pocket and conceal the protruding neck with your hand and wrist like the picture shown above. The important thing to remember when performing this technique is to always project confidence. If you look like you have something to hide, then you will be easy to spot. However if you keep your head up, shoulders straight, and make confident eye-contact the technique should be easy to pull off.

This is how I outsmarted the cops when it came to under age drinking. It’s funny, now that I’ve been of age for seven years now I still find myself using it from time to time.

Tired of Getting Traffic Tickets?

I beat traffic tickets using simple driving techniques at traffic lights. You can too.

We’ll ease into this soon to be controversial blog with something simple. Lets say that you’re driving down a moderately busy street in your city or town. As you approach the intersection you notice that the green light has suddenly changed to amber. You know you could stop in time before the light turns red; however you are in a hurry to pick up your friends for a night that will be filled with sex and alcohol. So you watch the light turn red as you blow through the intersection. You might get spotted by a cop and you might not, but it’s a risk that you’re willing to take.

Here’s how you can reduce the risk of getting stopped by the cops. It’s very simple. As you see the green light turns amber simply pump your brakes. Any cop that is watching you from behind will see your tail lights illuminate. A cop that’s watching from the front will see the front end of your car quickly dropped lower to the the ground, which will easily let him know that you have firmly pumped the brakes. Either way it will be easy for a cop to see that you did not blatantly blow through the light, and that you tried to safely stop your vehicle. Even though you intended to blow through it all along.

I’ve used this technique throughout my 11 year driving career, and have never gotten a ticket using it. I have even used it successfully in front of cops. I think it’s safe to say that it works. Anyone esle ever do this?