Posted on 11/22/2023 12:53:55 PM PST by DFG
The Kansas Highway Patrol must stop using a tactic known as the “Kansas Two-Step” to detain out-of-state drivers long enough to find a reason to search their vehicles for illegal drugs, a federal judge has ruled.
U.S. District Judge Kathryn H. Vratil on Monday granted a permanent injunction. The injunction was not unexpected. It follows Vratil's ruling in July that determined that the tactic violated drivers' constitutional rights against unreasonable searches.
KHP spokeswoman Candice Breshears said the order is being reviewed by the state attorney general's office and declined further comment. A message left Tuesday with the office of Attorney General Kris Kobach was not immediately returned.
The injunction has several requirements, including cameras and audio for all marked and unmarked patrol cars. It also says troopers must inform drivers that they can refuse or revoke consent for a search at any time. The injunction also requires better training and documentation.
With the “Two-Step,” troopers finish the initial traffic stop, issuing a ticket or a warning, and start to walk away, then turn back to talk more to the driver. That allows them to keep looking for grounds for a vehicle search or to buy time for drug-sniffing dogs to arrive.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued on behalf of three drivers and two passengers traveling in 2017, 2018 and 2019 from neighboring Colorado, which has legalized recreational marijuana use. The judge concluded that the patrol targeted drivers traveling along Interstate 70 to or from states that have legalized either the medical or recreational use of marijuana. Kansas has authorized neither.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I prefer the Texas two-step
My criminal procedure professor in law school claimed that a West Texas County Judge had ruled back in the 1970s that if a man had long hair, and drove a van with New Mexico plates, that gave the police probable cause to stop him, and search the van for marijuana,
Just leave the drugs at home and/or don't do anything to get pulled over.
Excellent advice!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.