Ehhh...
I’m certainly alarmed at the erosion of our civil liberties in the face of a growing police state, but I’m not sure that the issue is as cut-and-dry as “Police Can Violate the 4th Amendment.”
It’s always struck me as odd that the people’s award for police misconduct is that murderers get set free to kill more of the people.
SCENARIO ONE:
Deranged mass-murderer is driving down the road with a bloody corpse in the back seat. He comes to a stop. A policeman notices his rear tail light is out, so he signals for him to pull over. On looking in the car window, he sees a decapitated corpse and arrests the serial killer. Oh, no! The law says both tail lights must be malfunctioning! The serial killer gets set free!
SCENARIO TWO:
An internet journalist has posted several incidents of alleged police brutality online. The police suspect the journalist is using an illegal police radio to track down racially charged incidents. A squad car sees the journalist heading towards a crime scene. “We got her this time!” cackles Cop 1 to Cop 2, “her tail light is busted! We have an excuse to search her car!” “But the law says...” “Shut up, Newbie! I have an excuse and I don’t want you blowing this on me!”
Clearly, there is a distinction between these cases, is there not? Can’t a lower court or judge still find a cops alleged ignorance of the law doesn’t give him carte-blanche authority to do whatever he pleases?
Silly dangus... everyone knows that one of the best uses for a billyclub is to smash out the other tail light while the driver is handcuffed on the ground with a face full of asphalt and a knee on the back of the neck.