west

I got pulled over on Friday and during a vehicle search (which I'm not even sure was legal to begin with) the officer plucked a couple one-hundred dollar bills from my money clip which also had my ID and two credit cards attached to it. I then got written a ticket for not having my ID on my person(!), which totally confused me because it was not possible for him to steal my cash without seeing/handling my money clip which also had my ID...so he must have seen my ID. Anyways, I don't get pulled over and searched that often, but it would have been great if a cabin-mounted security camera had captured video of the officer handling my money clip and stealing some of my cash.

Anybody have ideas for installing interior/exterior surveillance on our vehicles?

Also, if an officer discovers your surveillance, do they have the right to take the storage media for whatever reason they want (obviously encrypting the contents would mitigate whatever they intended do with the media)?

monsterj34

They are not allow to search your car or ask you to step out of car without search warrant or actual reason why they want you to step out of vehicle. My attorney told me never step out of car or say yes to search the car on the street without proper documentation and reason. and if have no reason to pull you over just ask if there is summon and you just want to get out of there quickly as possible. You can file complaints to the police department saying what happend and others. Since you got the ticket i would find lawyer friend and ask if there is anyway to get this solved..

but yeah whatever that cop did was wrong because car is actual your own property and like when cops has to get search warrant if they want to search your house applies to car as well as my attorney said.
If they give hard time tell them you want to go to the headquarter and go with proper procedure for searching car..

but always say No when they ask you to step out unless they have reason for you to step out and No when they ask you if they can search the car.

oh about security camera, i can find you something that can be used easily.. and no they shouldnt give you hard time because it is for your own safety. its like you have camera in your house

Rudy

Maybe it's me but it seems as if the OP expects to get pulled over and searched a bit more than what I consider to be "normal" for someone's lifetime. In other words, under normal circumstances, how many times total should someone expect actually get pulled over and searched?

For me, I'd say the "normal" answer is zero times. Again, maybe it's me but I personally have never been subjected to a vehicle search and I truly believe I'll never be subjected to a vehicle search in my lifetime. The OP said "I don't get pulled over and searched that often" which sort of sounds as if this episode wasn't his first time and quite possibly won't be his last time.

If you're considering installing video surveillance in your vehicle so you can prove a cop did something illegal to you, you may want to do some investigating as to why the cops keep stopping you and searching your car in the first place!

west

Great. What security camera do you think could be used easily? Even though my back-story mentions protection from the police, it seems like a security camera might also prove useful if somebody broke in your car to steal a radar detector, or OEM part or something like that...I dunno. Anyways, even if it's not easy to install, what ideas do you have in mind if anything?

Good info about the law stuff. I believe the reason the cops searched my vehicle was because I respectfully opted not to speak to the them at that time(here is something I just found which is somewhat aligns with my own views to that end: ). Just would have been nice if the cops adherered to some basic moral principles like honesty and not stealing while I follow the guidance that my attourney gave to me.

west

Somebody brought this topic to my attention the other day, so reviving it to add some info as it seems that you are implying that I am some sort of trouble maker of some sort.

If you are not from Seattle, are not aware of how our police department operates, and care to understand how getting pulled over and searched can happen to anybody (yes, even you Rudy), do some homework on the SPD when you've got some time on your hands. Lots of material on the Seattle Police Department available online.

socale39

Although the forth amendment protects use from unreasonable search and seizure, law enforcement officers CAN search your vehicle with "Probable Cause". Probable cause can include but not be limited to your demeanor, responsiveness, what you are wearing....and the list goes on. So, as you can imagine there are many ways in which "Probable Cause" can be exercised. So even Rudy can get searched

West, there are some pieces of your story missing. I'd like to know if you were asked for license and registration prior to the search.

west

I'll share the rest of the details with you over the phone with you if you'd like, but yeah, they asked me for license and registration prior to the search. It's all over and dealt with at this point. Still wouldn't mind a video camera for my car though.

Turbonegro

Maybe not for the reason the OP was asking for it, but I always use to wonder about the possibility of internal/external monitoring of a vehicle. Especially for cars like ours who are less often stolen and more often broken into because of the OEM BMW security system, video would supply visual evidence of unsavory activity.

I didn't grow up in the best neighborhood, and I've seen my share of vehicles broken into for no reason. My G35 had rocks thrown at it by kids for the fun of it when I was just out of college, living with my parents. I don't live there now, and the 535i is garage kept, but I could still see why this could be a good thing.