General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Federal Court: The Police Can Stop and Search You for Behaving Innocently [View all]JJChambers
(1,115 posts)An officer does not need PC to utilize a K9. If a K9 alerts to the presence of drugs, that alert gives the officer probable cause to conduct a search. The courts have consistently ruled that an officer can run a K9 around a vehicle during the course of a routine traffic stop for no reason at all. Additionally, as is the case here, an officer may briefly extend the duration of a routine traffic stop to await the arrival of a K9 even after the routine stop would normally have been over, with the presence of reasonable suspicion. The opinion of the court in this case is that there was plenty of reasonable suspicion to briefly prolong the encounter.
This is all fairly well established case law; the outcome of this case should surprise no one.