LOL! I agree with you. After watching many episodes of COPs on TV, if someone refuses a search, they bring in the K-9 unit, which can add another hour+ to your travel plans.
I wonder if,in a situation like the one you describe,you can sue the police department if they caused you to miss a plane...or a job interview...or some other engagement that involved money.Assuming,of course,that they did not,in fact,find anything illegal in your car.
Detaining someone for an hour on the side of the road could well be a "seizure" for Fouth Amendment purposes that would require probable cause.
Essentially, the War on Some Drugs has not only eroded our rights, our convenience and our safety (no-knock raids) but has corrupted police.
Between Serpico, the Vice Squad scandals in NY, the Ramparts in LA and the FBI Crime Lab, we have basically empowered organized crime-—with and without badges.