Do You Have to Consent to Vehicle Search in Dallas?

There are a few cases in which the police can search your vehicle randomly. You can give them permission if they ask to search your car. Another way is if they believe there is something in your car. If, for example, you are pulled over and they smell marijuana, that may give them probable cause to go in and search your car. They may even get a drug dog to come out and go around your car. If the dog gives an indication that something is in there, they have the ability to search your car. If you’ve been arrested for something they can do what’s called an inventory search allowing them to go through your entire car, writing stuff down so that they know what’s in your car, so that if something’s taken it’s all documented.

Video Transcription:

The police cannot just search your vehicle randomly. There’s two cases, there’s two situations where they can; one is if you say ‘you can search my car.’ They may ask ‘is it okay if I search your car?’ If you say yes they have permission to. The second way is if they believe that something’s in your car. So, for example they pull you over, they smell marijuana, and that may give them if it’s fresh burned marijuana. That may give them probable cause to go in and actually search your car. Other times if they feel that something’s in there and they just kind of have that feeling. They may even get a drug dog to come out and to go around your car if they get, you know, an indication from the dog that there’s something in there, they had the ability to search your car. The other way that they have the ability to search your car is if you’ve been arrested for something, then they can do what’s called an inventory search. An inventory search allows them to go through your entire car, under the guidelines of they’re writing stuff down so that they know what’s in your car, so that if something’s taken it’s all documented. So you see several cases where they could arrest you for speeding and they do that so they can search your car. To speak to a lawyer call us at the Goolsby law firm. Our telephone number’s 214-296-2770, we’ll get you in for a free consultation.