04/05/2026
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๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ? โฃ
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The Supreme Court in ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐จ ๐ฏ. ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ (๐.๐. ๐๐ฐ. 253504, ๐๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐บ 1, 2023) discussed when the police can and cannot search traffic violators.โฃ
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๐๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก โฃ
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A ๐๐ข๐ง๐-๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง - no helmet, no license, or no OR/CR - does not allow for arrest. Because there is no valid arrest, the police cannot conduct a search incidental to a lawful arrest to look for evidence.โฃ
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๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก (๐๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ ๐
๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ค)โฃ
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However, if the ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ, ๐ญ๐๐ค๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ, create a genuine reason to suspect an illicit act, the police can frisk the body of a traffic violator.โฃ
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In ๐๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฐ, the Court upheld the stop and frisk search that yielded a ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง because of a totality of circumstances:โฃ
1. The riders were โ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฆโโฃ
2. A ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ (covered with paper)โฃ
3. No ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซโ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ โฃ
4. No vehicle ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ญ (OR) and ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง (CR)โฃ
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When faced with these successive circumstances, the police officers suspected that perhaps the riders were armed and/or conducting some illicit activity.โฃ
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๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก โฃ
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A valid stop and frisk search is:โฃ
1. Strictly limited to a "๐ฉ๐๐ญ-๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง" ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ .โฃ
2. Conducted for the sole purpose of discovering weapons ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฒ, not to find evidence of a crime.โฃ