Should I ever consent to a search of my house or car?

[Smokin Moose]

Under no circumstances should you ever consent to a search.

First, its your house or car. LEO has no business searching it.

Second, LEO's only job is to bust you. Do not make this job easier. There is frequently a feeling that arises that if you co-operate with LEO, things will go easier for you. Resist this feeling with all of your might.

Third, if LEO says "If you won't consent, I'll go get a search warrant," then tell him to go get his search warrant. In order to get his warrant, he must have probable cause that you have committed a crime and that there is evidence of this to be found in the area to be searched. Usually, LEO is bluffing. If he had probable cause, why is he asking you for permission?

Finally, even if you think your house or car is clean as a whistle, guess who will find that dropped roach or missing pipe. You guessed it, Johnny Law.

 

[FrankFoster]

They show up in plain clothes and talk about verification and things of that sort, compliance. And yeah your legal so you think ahhhhh compliance, okay... WRONG.

They talk their way into probable cause, leave, then write declarations and get your warrant. When they show up at the site, and do the "walk-through," you basically have less than 24 hours to get the entire place cleaned up before you get raided. The old adage was 10 days later. Now its more like, you better have the U-haul rented and on stand-by.

Instead of that, politely say no and then get the incinerator going, Its like the SEC is coming and you are LehamBros.

Outdoor sites they talk of compliance... that is the word for trying to get you into allowing them plain view probable cause.
When the man shows up for a visit the first time, only idiots and I mean real idiots think, good they left, now I am in the clear.

And sometimes they set up and watch after they show up, then leave, to determine if you are going to do anything like CLEAR, CLEAN, BURN, and DENY.

in 1999 a co-0p I know of was 100% Sheriff sanctioned and the compliance officers came by talking about compliance, they were DEA. After the walk-through, the main dude got word and was onsite within 20 minutes of their leaving, 16 metal trashcans with charcoal briquets in the back lot at 2AM that night go rolling and the place was cleaned up hard-core.

The next night at 3:30 am they showed up, well SWAT did.
Not one light, chemical, plant, scissor, hose, bag of dirt, bucket, pot, soil amendment, tarp, fan, tray or paraphernalia, was located. No prints in the entire place. Everybody there was still arrested and charged. Now it was easier to fight off. Especially when the people were millionaires, but even with nothing found in the search, everybody was still arrested and charged and cuffed and snuffed.

Charges were dropped in 2007. 1999-2007= 8 years in Court, huh? 8 years of that anus pain.

LEO are not a friend of liberty and freedom, they are the opposite of that.