Q: When can the police search me?

If you encrypt your computers correctly, the police cannot find out what's on your HDD (unless of course you tell them).

In the US, being forced to give your password is a violation of some amendment on self-incrimination, but in Canada I am not sure. I once asked the Q to a law professor at my uni but he didn't know the answer (not that I blame him, it was somewhat of a random question).

In the US, using your template:

A: In general, the police can search you and your belongings only if you are under arrest, if you consent to being searched, if you are at some portal(border, airport, etc...), they have a search warrant, they have an arrest warrant, they feel it is "an emergency", they "think" they see contraband, or you do/say certain things that make them suspicious. You are never obligated to consent to being searched, but they may detain you. If the police begin to search you, however, you should not try to stop them since this may result in you being charged with a criminal offense.

An example is that if they see something that looks like the handle of a gun through a window in your car, they can look for it. If they find it, a warning stop could become a felony misdemeanor, and they could arrest you for a concealed weapon! If that SAME weapon were legal in the area, on ON the seat unloaded and no ammo was found in the cabin, they would search, question you, and LET YOU GO!

ALSO, because a robber once got off because he was in the US illegally and claimed improprieties, they are to tell you about your rights(Called the Miranda Warnings, after the aforementioned robber). If they don't, especially if you confess, they may be found to be at fault, and forced to let you go.

So yeah, the rights don't mean much HERE either! They can not PHYSICALLY search your car in most cases, but they ARE allowed to search it VISUALLY fro all they can see on the outside, even through closed windows. They are the allowed to INSTANTLY use any suspicion created by that to allow them to PHYSICALLY search.

Steve

Right on, got pulled over for a simple driving infraction and had my phone taken because they wanted to "send it away for investigation":confused:

They started drug testing for jobs way before MADD got their hooks into the system. And that one is a hard one because drunks do just kill and maim all over hell and back when behind a wheel - but the usurpation of rights that law caused has allowed quite a snowball effect to go on. I'm against texting while driving, too - but feel it would be much more effective to just shoot someone doing it so they can't kill someone else than to make more laws about it. Yeah JK, (kinda).

In MOST cases such people are stopped because of erratic actions. In almost all, treatment is based on perceived ability. So it isn't for something you might do, but something you are very likely to do. You could refuse to give up fluids, but then you would be presumed guilty.

Steve