Can the police do this?

Sara

Gosh their so annoying, on the weekend, I was with my fiance and was heading home, cause my fiance has the typical car that most people have in the area, they were following us for good 5 Min's, but when they got close seen me, they just turned away... :| I think they target men in sports cars a bit too much!!

Hammer

It wasn't for "no reason." You just don't like the reason they gave you. Whether people believe it or not (you obviously don't), police officers have enough to do, and there are enough people around who are breaking the law, that they don't just stop random people and search them. If you were stopped, and especially if you were searched, there was a reason, which they explained to you. You looked or acted suspicious, or matched a description of someone they were looking for. You may not be the person they were looking for, or whatever, but they had a reason.

Max Hoopla

They had a reason. Count on it.

Krisna S

yes police do have authority to do that if you seem suspicious!

Yes they can.

Im fed up with the people in this country treating our police as trash, they do a fantastic job of looking after communities, places like South Africa would pay for our police force.

They do it with good reason, our police aren't abusing there powers, they are of high standard, trust me.

mcc1789

Yes, they, can. If they observe you doing someting illegal, the police can search you automatically with probable cause. Even if not, when they have a reasonable suspicion it's called a stop and frisk, provided that some risk might exist for the officers. You can imagine the abuse the standard allows unscrupulous police.

nosdda

Under the "Stop and search law", they can search a person, only if they have suspicians that he has something illegal in his possession. I would make a complaint to the chief Inspector of police in your area. You can do this by letter, and ask for an explanation and an apology. This was unlawful.

BPD091684

It's not SUPPOSED to be legal, but police have been given the convenience of "probable cause". This also entails being able to pull you over and search you on the grounds of a "complaint" they have received, fictional or not.
For more info on this and other abuses of power perpetrated by the police, go to http://www.copwatch.org/

Kevin

There is a lot more to this story than you are telling here.

I will give you the benefit of the doubt and say that it is possible that you don't even know what was going on.

They had to provide you with some explanation for what they were doing.

They have to answer to their superiors and inevitably the public at large. They should be able to articulate some reason they felt it necessary to detain and search you. Maybe they saw you acting in a suspicious manner and thought you had committed or were about to commit a crime (Terry stop). Maybe you matched a description of someone they were looking for.

Obviously while this is going on you are limited in questioning the officers while they are putting their hands on you and searching you. But based on your question you were not arrested and were eventually allowed to go on about your business. At that point in the encounter you would have been more than justified in calmly asking them why they detained you and what they suspected you of.

Copgirl

Yes, they had a reason. I would love to hear the Officer's side. I'm sure much different than yours.

Bridget M

they can always claim they stopped you for suspicious activity, did you give them permission to search you did you ask why you were stopped did you get their badge numbers and request to speak to their supervisor

awphotog

Yes they can stop and search you - they have to give you a reason though and they have to give you a stop and search form which they fill out.

Facile Princeps

Yes "stop & search" is perfectly legal

Timothy L

They are just doing it for the safety of the public in your town. Leave cops alone they are risking their lives everyday no matter what town and how safe it is, it is safe because of those men and women. Police are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

John K

I am sure there is more to the story then this. They have to have a reason to stop you. And yes, they have the right to search you.

STEVEN F

They HAD a reason. If may or may not have been a LEGAL reason, but it WAS a reason. NO ONE does ANYTHING for no reason.

daxica

why are you gonna take em to court for it lol , the police can do what they wish noone is gonna question them they'll have an answer.

Greshnab

obviously they can do it.. they did...

the question now is did they violate your civil liberties by making you subject to an illegal search..

that would depend ... did you act in a suspicious manner that would make a reasonable person have cause to believe you might be engaged in illegal activities??? if so they were well within their rights

if you were OTOH polite upfront and friendly with them.. then they have no room to stand on.. however if you were rude, or seemed suspicious then they had every reason to search you.

The Saint

Yeh of course they had no reason.Just be honest and tell us what you were up to.

ninesummers

No they cannot unless you invite them to for e.g getting cheeky and say something like ' i've not got anything, what do you wanna do?search me or something'. thats what my friend said to one and he got searched and the copper told him cos he said that he was well within his rights to search him. But as others have said, they can do what they want pretty much, nobody gonna believe you over a police officer.

olin h

Depends on how well they lie -- they rarely get in trouble it is hard to disprove probable cause

Yes they can search you, but they cannot search your vehicle without a warrant or your permission.

Mr. Goodhi

No,

but they'll come up with a BS reason in court why they did it.
Who's the judge & jury going to believe, you or a cop?

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