Maybe the officer was being unreasonable.What would you do if you were stopped by an officer for speeding,and asked to get out of your car,subject yourself and car to search?You'd probably fall right into line,as would I,as I do not relish the thought of spending time in jail for "refusing to cooperate"with an unconstitutional search.Cops should read and understand the constitution just like the rest of us,and respect it's provisions.I can't count the number of newspaper articles I've read where police found drugs or other contraband in cars,to be informed at the end of the article that it was all the product of a "routine traffic stop".If it was a routine traffic stop,what were the police doing in the trunk?
I do not think I would be happy, but that is irrelevant, since all evidence is that this didn't happen here, the state highway patrol officer simply asked the perp to give him the driver's license, so he could take a close look at it, perhaps taking the license to the patrol car to check for outstanding warrants, which is SOP in every state I have been in. That is over a dozen states I have lived in, plus 20 more that I have driven though.
I've read where police found drugs or other contraband in cars,to be informed at the end of the article that it was all the product of a "routine traffic stop".If it was a routine traffic stop,what were the police doing in the trunk?
Well now you have gotten completely off topic, but it is universally accepted that, if the cops have a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed, or that they are in danger, they have a responsibility to investigate the crime, or secure their safety by searching the car. If the search is not reasonable, the courts throw out the evidence.