Page 150 - Critical Tasks in Law Enforcement 2020-2021 Sessioin

Task: Canine Search of a Vehicle

U.S. v. Place, 462 U.S. 696 (1983).

A dog’s free-air sniff of an inanimate object does not constitute a

th
search for 4 Amendment purposes.

• When a properly trained canine alerts while free-air sniffing an

inanimate object, officers then have probable cause to believe the

inanimate object contains contraband and may proceed to search

the vehicle based on the motor vehicle exception to the warrant

requirement.

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