This question came up on my Q&C page, from a reader named Rick:“When traveling north out of border towns like Laredo, Tx...you will find stops on all of the highways. These are border patrol stops...but not on the border.
“They always ask me if I am a US citizen and what I am doing. Some folks get irate and ask if they are under arrest. I saw video of them on Youtube.
“I always answer yes and explain that I am on vacation. Until today, I have never had any problems with these stops...even though I pull my [travel] trailer behind my motorhome.
“Today I was stopped. The dog sniffed my RV and trailer and the officer asked me if I was a citizen and what I was doing. I answered yes and that I was on vacation to escape the northern winter and I was slowly heading back north.
“The guy with the dog then asked me if I minded if I opened the back door [of the trailer] and let the dog stick his face in and give a sniff. I answered that I did mind. I said that, after all, this is my home. They said, ‘OK’ and motioned for me to move on."
I posted Rick’s experience on the Q&C page and asked for readers’ comments. This was the answer that came back (underlining has been added by me):
“As a person in the field of law enforcement, Rick, I think you did an outstanding job!
“The threshold for a search is greatly increased when the item to be searched is a person's ‘castle’ or home. Some people may argue that the home was still on wheels...but I guarantee you will make any ‘agent of the state’ think twice if you say, ‘
This is my home.’
“If said
politely and without giving any reasonable suspicion...I think you used the magic words to put an end to any unreasonable search. Nobody wants to be involved in an illegal search of a person's home without probable cause or exigent circumstances.
Violating a person's 4th amendment rights can get a cop sued VERY quickly. That's my 2c.”
For more information about what to do when a cop pulls you over, see pages 74 and 75 of my e-Book “Invisible Money.”Labels: search of a travel trailer, traffic stop, what do do if a cop pulls you over
Privacy blog post by JJ Luna at 8:34 PM
