Too Close for Comfort in Kansas

[rtalbigr]

Well, I'm on my way to Denver and almost through Kansas, not speedin or drivin crazy and the KHP pull;s me over cuz I didn't use my turn signal when I passed a big rig. We go through all the rigamarole, where I'm from why am I driving thru Kansas were am I going. I explain about my dad and meetin my brother. So he gives me a warning ticket, starts to leave, and then oh, can I search your truck. Well, packed in a suit case I have 10 qts of some of my best. I figure he'd just look in the back, but no, he's got to go through all my luggage. "What's all that moonshine back there for?"

Next thing I know he's got his supervisor there who assures me he's not goin to take me to jail but he thinks there might be something illegal about all this so hes gonna have to do a little research and we might need to pour all that out. What got him was when I said OMG NO, don't get me wrong but I'd definitely would rather you just take it all than to pour it out. That's some damn fine stuff there, better than anything you can buy. I got a year of my time and work invested in that stuff.

He looked at me kinda funny and said he wasn't much of a drinker so I said, man I'll bet ya got some friends who would appreciate some really fine stuff.

He gave me another look and told me to get out a Kansas.

Big R

[fullhouse]

shewwww .... so did ya get out of Kansas with the hooch?

[RumBrewer]

You should have said that it was flavored spirit made with Everclear and you bought it all.
Beyond that.... you should have said "Not without a warrant!"
Better than good chance that he'd have let you go anyway.

[blind drunk]

That incident was too good, Big R.

"What's all that moonshine back there for?"

For drinking, what else occifer.

[Prairiepiss]

Damn. Whew I'm glad you got through that one. When you coming back through? Kansas Troopers out west are jackasses. I'm glad I don't go to that side of the state much. That and there ain't a damn thing but the wilds biggest ball of twine out there.

To bad the weather sucks. You could have been in the bike. They probably would have left you alone then.

Be safe.

[Washashore]

Can't believe they went through your luggage just for not turning on your blinker. I understand the reasonable suspicion thing but really? Glad you made it through Big R.

[LWTCS]

Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick that was a close call.
Wonder if they let ya go cuz they got someone close that's makin?

[MuleKicker]

Thats why if I take it out of the house, it goes in a commercially labeled bottle. Bet if you were in the southeast it wouldnt have turned out that way. Glad all is well.

[Braz]

Jesus, that is scary.

[Samohon]

Very scary, but I'm glad it worked out for ya...

[Bull Rider]

Never give permission for a search. If they had enough probable cause for the search to start with, they wouldn't ask for permission. This is a common "ruse" used for fishing trip type searches.

Just tell them that you don't consent, thank you very much.



Bull.

[MuleKicker]

This is a common "ruse" used for fishing trip type searches

Dammit bull. That reminds me of a fishing trip to canada i took with some friends. we got to the border at a slow time. I could see it coming. "pull over here, were gonna check you out. " Basterds ripped the van apart, tore our duffle bags apart. clothes, and fishing shit everywhere. They even broke a bottle of vodka. They got done, said "well, your good to go once you get all your stuff back in line." Shit, I was pissed. Took us hours of tetris to pack that van just right. I told her " You took it apart, now you put it back together". She just smiled and said. "you wouldnt like how I would pack your stuff" and walked away. What a joke. No compensation for the broken bottle either.

[heartcut]

Christ! Glad you made it. I've done a lot of traveling for work, the domestic stuff usually in a van packed with "live for a few months" stuff. I gave permission for a search once, had a MuleKicker type experience and never gave permission again in 25+ years of travelling. The only time I was ever searched against my will was a block from my house in Texas, but all they did is make a mess and unload my pistol. I'm glad they're there, but don't like being harassed.

[retlaw]

Never give permission for a search. If they had enough probable cause for the search to start with, they wouldn't ask for permission. This is a common "ruse" used for fishing trip type searches.

Just tell them that you don't consent, thank you very much.



Bull.

dead on bullrider,
and never let them in the house if they come knocking,
another fishing trip, don't even open the door, they will take that as an invite,
if they had a warrant they don't knock,
and if they don't have a warrant then you can sue them,
as long as you don't consent,
thats why they ask because they can't with out your consent,

[August West]

+3 on Bull's advice. Repeat , am I under arrest? Am I free to go? Never consent to a search. You dont know what else
they might "find". AW

[Uncle Jesse]

Never give permission for a search. If they had enough probable cause for the search to start with, they wouldn't ask for permission. This is a common "ruse" used for fishing trip type searches.

Just tell them that you don't consent, thank you very much.



Bull.

Exactly.

Never, ever consent to a search. They have no right to search without probable cause. They have no right to demand ID if you aren't driving, unless they are going to detain or arrest you.

You have rights, don't give them up voluntarily. Saying "no" to a search doesn't mean you're a criminal, it means you value your right to privacy.

"No, officer, I do not consent to a search as I believe it's unreasonable."

I had an officer ask me once "Do you live here?" while I was standing outside my apartment complex, so I responded "Are you detaining me?" He responded with the same question, "Do you live here?" to which I responded "Are you detaining me?" after that he left.

[Coyote]

Crossing the border into Canada years ago driving a buddy's pickup - who happens to be a big time shooter and reloader
got pulled over for a search. The little Mountie climbed in the back under the canopy and searched a minute until he
found an empty .223 casing. Then he went ape shit tearing everything out holding up my girlfriends night time wear
and commenting on how my evening was going to be.

Left everything scattered around the back of the truck and attempted to exit the truck.

I stood at the tail gate and told him to put everything back where he found it. " We don't do that" he says.

"You do today" The US Border Guard was telling me to let it go and not create a "situation"

I told the littlest Mountie that he could put it all back and if he chose not to and got blood on my girlfriends night time wear
I would proceed to get really mad.

Took him 20 minutes to arrange things the way Donna wanted it.

[BigPa]

I tell everybody the same thing I told my daughter "JUST SAY NO"............

[bentstick]

Rt glad things worked in your favor, hope the rest of your journey goes with out incident, you dont need any more stuff added on. Cheers to ya!

[mtblackdog]

Never give permission for a search. If they had enough probable cause for the search to start with, they wouldn't ask for permission. This is a common "ruse" used for fishing trip type searches.

Just tell them that you don't consent, thank you very much.



Bull.

dead on bullrider,
and never let them in the house if they come knocking,
another fishing trip, don't even open the door, they will take that as an invite,
if they had a warrant they don't knock,
and if they don't have a warrant then you can sue them,
as long as you don't consent,
thats why they ask because they can't with out your consent,[/quot

Words of Wisdom never ever consent. Even if you think you dont have anything to hide. Just never know what might be found.

[mash rookie]

This is a common "ruse" used for fishing trip type searches

Dammit bull. That reminds me of a fishing trip to canada i took with some friends. we got to the border at a slow time. I could see it coming. "pull over here, were gonna check you out. " Basterds ripped the van apart, tore our duffle bags apart. clothes, and fishing shit everywhere. They even broke a bottle of vodka. They got done, said "well, your good to go once you get all your stuff back in line." Shit, I was pissed. Took us hours of tetris to pack that van just right. I told her " You took it apart, now you put it back together". She just smiled and said. "you wouldnt like how I would pack your stuff" and walked away. What a joke. No compensation for the broken bottle either.

Border guards are different MK. They can do anything they want. They can rip your car to pieces, tear off door panels and pull out seats if they want. I have never heard of them telling anyone you can turn around if you dont want to be searched. I have found that the US custom are much worse than the Canadian customs guards. They can be real dicks. They threatened to take my dog once because I did not have papers for him. They spent two hours searching my boat before and left shit laying everywhere.

[jake_leg]

Don't get me started on US border officials.

Before I got my green card I had to pay a doctor 125 quid to take a chest X ray and look at my dick. To check I didn't have tuberculosis or AIDS. That's what I call invasive.

But it was when he called for a magnifying glass that I really took offence

[Bushman]

Good advice Bull, I had a similar incident with the Coast Guard wanting to board my boat for an inspection in really rough water. I told them no problem but I don't feel it is safe here you can follow me to the marina and you are welcome to do your inspection. I think they were training for rough water rescues as they did not follow me to the marina.

+1 MK, never travel with alcohol in Mason Jars.

[blind drunk]

I told the littlest Mountie that he could put it all back and if he chose not to and got blood on my girlfriends night time wear
I would proceed to get really mad.

You're lucky he didn't call in another two or three Mounties and then taser you to the ground.

Can't the police just make up a probable cause on the spot? The letter of the law is fine and dandy if your lawyer's sitting in the passenger seat with you when you get pulled over. But out on a highway and in a hurry, it's a different story. Sometimes you just gotta think on your feet and out class them, as Big R did.

[rgarry]

Please watch this and you will learn a lot. I came across this when planning what I would do if the fuz came knocking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri= ... 8z7NC5sgik" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow (mobile link for cell phones and ipads)

[Braz]

Can't the police just make up a probable cause on the spot? The letter of the law is fine and dandy if your lawyer's sitting in the passenger seat with you when you get pulled over.

Yep. A couple months ago I went to lunch at a local place and ended up in a booth next to three local cops, one young guy and two older ones. I sat there and overheard their conversation. It was obvious that the younger one had entered a residence without permission or probable cause and the senior cops were coaching him on what his testimony should be. They told him to testify that when he was at the door he smelled marijuana smoke and that would be sufficient probable cause to enter the house. I have no idea what the arrest was for but it was clear they were trying to justify the illegal entry.

They call it "testilying."

[NcHooch]

BigR,
Glad to hear ya walked away with just a couple feathers ruffled
I recon I'd been changin my boxers after that.

[rubber duck]

Good advice Bull, I had a similar incident with the Coast Guard wanting to board my boat for an inspection in really rough water. I told them no problem but I don't feel it is safe here you can follow me to the marina and you are welcome to do your inspection. I think they were training for rough water rescues as they did not follow me to the marina.

+1 MK, never travel with alcohol in Mason Jars.

I had some crap like that happen with a game warden. He wanted to check my boat, no problem. Then he wanted me to pull up the floor boards. I just handed him a screw driver and said get to work, I'm not going to do it.

I think the best one I've had was north of Larado TX, I was stopped at a boarder control check point and my student got checked for his green card. This guy was stupid and he was a prick, so naturally I had to escalate the situation. Here he is flipping the thing back and forth looking at it, I asked wtf was the problem hadn't he ever seen a green card before? No magusto I was there for 2 hours.

[Coyote]

blind drunk said "You're lucky he didn't call in another two or three Mounties and then taser you to the ground."

That was a few years before tasers 1986 if memory serves

Today I hope I am old and wiser and the wife don't wear night time wear

[John Barleycorn]

If they don't have a warrant, they can't go looking for things that aren't in plain sight, period. I was always taught to first ask them exactly what they're looking for ... then decide what you want to do. If they don't specify what they're looking for, then it's a simple matter of politely declining. And short of probable cause, they won't be able to detain you nor obtain a warrant.

You can also limit their search as you see fit. "I'll open the trunk to let you look in, but I don't want you to touch anything." And they can't go looking for a body in a briefcase ... it's that "an elephant in a matchbox" thing.

We stopped a US vessel in international waters back in the 80s. It was your basic recreational yawl with two couples aboard in their late 30s. Did a quick "safety inspection." Nothing suspicious about the vessel or the folks ... no arrest warrants, etc. The BO saw a battery powered drill stowed away in a cabinet and asked if they minded if he drilled into deck. Damned if they didn't say yes. Well, there was about 20 kilos of marijuana stuffed under the galley deck. Obviously, these folks weren't drug runners, but their fun ended right then and there.

The bottom line is this: law enforcement knows the effect that a uniform, a badge and weapon has on the average Joe ... and they're trained to take advantage of it. It's really quite amazing how we've been conditioned to comply. Just be polite and say, "Sir, It's been a long day and I'd rather just be moving along."

--JB