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To: 54-46 Was My Number
The fact that the argument is posed that they had no cause to stop these fellas does not remove the fact that they had drugs on their person.

Cops have to work on hunches in order to do the job they are tasked to do and they should be allowed to do so. I agree they should be punished if they do a search and they find nothing, that would accomplish making them sure that a search is warranted.

I am just saying that hiding truthful evidence cannot be a positive action when its goal is to protect the innocent. Indeed these guys were far from it......until evidence was hiden that is.

and since that detention was unjustified, it's as if the evidence against them never existed.

It is the "as if" part I take issue with. Please don't get me wrong I do not seek to remove the protection from improper searches. I simply offer that there are better ways to insure that and more proper punishments for those that will search improperly.

your last paragraph assumes there is only one way to insure rights are protected. I disagree with that point entriely. There are more ways to punish the guilty cops than simply allowing the guilty perps to walk free into society.

Punishment for improper searches is due but know this, this was not an improper search and the evidence shows that quite clearly. If you care about the truth that is.

Truth as I pose it in this example is that these fellas were cold busted with drugs and they should in no way walk away scott free. Do you really think they should?
24 posted on 05/31/2006 9:25:54 AM PDT by BlueStateDepression
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To: BlueStateDepression
It is the "as if" part I take issue with. Please don't get me wrong I do not seek to remove the protection from improper searches. I simply offer that there are better ways to insure that and more proper punishments for those that will search improperly.

A cop can stop and search anyone he or she wants to based on reasonable suspicion, that is, a reasonable belief based on specific and articulable facts, that a person is about to commit, is commiting, or has committed a crime. Call it a hunch that you could explain to a reasonable person, if you will.

Giving police the power to search based on a hunch alone would be extremely dangerous. Since a hunch is not based on a reasonable belief, or on articulable facts, a hunch could be anything you wanted to be. In a perfect world a hunch would be justified, but in the real world, a justified, unarticulable hunch is no different from a race-based hunch or a prejudice-based hunch or simply an asshole-based hunch.


29 posted on 05/31/2006 9:39:14 AM PDT by 54-46 Was My Number (Right now, somebody else got that number)
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To: BlueStateDepression
and since that detention was unjustified, it's as if the evidence against them never existed.

Well, the good news is that at least the drugs are off the street... even if the search and seizure was tainted.

32 posted on 05/31/2006 9:41:25 AM PDT by Army MP Retired (There Will Be Many False Prophets)
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