Quote:
Originally Posted by Fly320s
Ah. Gotcha.
How is a vehicle pat down not a search? Is it just a quick look around the driver's seat to see if there is a Bazooka hidden?
Sounds like a search to me. Limited in scope, maybe, but still a search.
Or maybe it is an extension of the Terry frisk?
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It's exactly that, and the courts allow for it. Observing what is in plain sight (..
e.g. doesn't require the officer to manipulate or open anything, although center consoles do get checked because they are readily accessible.) isn't a search as the courts/case law defines it.