PA Supreme Court Allows Warrantless Searches of Cars
Police will have an easier time searching without your permission.
PennLive reports that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will now allow police officers to search cars without getting a search warrant first. From now on, officers will follow federal rulings that they need only self-determined “probable cause” to make a search.
Previously, officers in the Keystone State generally were required to obtain warrants before searching a vehicle unless the car’s owner gave consent for a search.
Justice Seamus McCafferty wrote that, while police must secure warrants before searching homes or offices, “there is a diminished expectation of privacy in motor vehicles” that is recognized not only by the feds, but by other states as well.
The ruling stemmed from a 2010 Philadelphia case.
