In the event that you have been stopped by the police, this can be an unnerving experience at best. This is true even if you don’t believe that you violated any traffic laws.

It can cause a lot of fear and panic if you suspect that an officer may accuse you of breaking the law. In many situations where a police officer stops an individual in a car, the primary purpose is to give someone a traffic citation. If you have already been arrested, get help from a Florida criminal defense lawyer.

One question that the officer might ask is whether or not the officer has permission to search the driver’s vehicle. All too often, individuals consent to allowing an officer to get access to their vehicle when no legal grounds exist for such a search.

This can even happen if the person does have illegal contraband inside their vehicle that could end up getting in trouble. Police officers are legally allowed to search your car if they have probable cause or if they have asked you and received permission from you.

You may be giving up your rights too easily by allowing an officer to search your car. Finding out more about the situation and understanding the best way to protect your rights can help you to avoid an unfortunate outcome.

The only situation in which an officer is eligible to search an individual’s car without that driver’s consent is if they believe that there is probable cause that the drug contains contraband like drugs or in the event that the individual in the car has been arrested and that car is searched due to that arrest.

Many people who choose to consent to a car search by a police officer do so because they suspect that even if they don’t consent, the officer will search it regardless.

In most cases, this is not accurate. In the case where an officer is eligible to search associated with probable cause, there has to be an indication that contraband or drugs are present in the car. For example, the contraband would have to be in open view or perhaps the officer smells marijuana.Plain view refers to the officer’s line of sight from outside the vehicle.

In the event that an officer requests to search your car, think carefully. The best thing to do in most situations is to refuse politely. You might say something like, “Officer, I know you are carrying out the duties of your job but one of my friends is an attorney and informed me that I don’t have to give consent if I don’t wish to be inconvenienced by staying in this location while my car is searched. So I decline respectfully.”

The officer may be upset about your refusal to allow him or her to search the car, but once the citation has been written by him or her, the officer cannot keep you legally at that scene for longer than necessary to issue the citation.

Be respectful but focus on leaving the scene without a search. Unfortunately, many individuals who are ultimately facing drug charges are doing so because they consented to have an officer search their vehicle.

Bear in mind that you do have rights and that it is your responsibility to uphold them at the scene of a stop. If the officer is within his or her rights, then anything identified in that search may be legally used against you to help convict you of a crime.

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If there is no probable cause for the officer to search your vehicle, however, you should think carefully about whether or not it makes sense to give up this right to decline. In many cases, it is far better to politely speak to the officer and inform him or her that you do not wish to have your vehicle searched.

If you have already been involved in a situation where an officer searched your vehicle without your consent and without having probable cause, you need to consult with a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. This is the best way to ensure that all possible avenues in your criminal defense are explored.

Think you may be eligible to have your record expunged? Read this blog to learn more about the process: http://www.mariarogerslaw.com/how-to-expunge-a-criminal-record-in-florida/