For those of you (and it’s probably all of you) who thought I was hyperbolizing or just being paranoid when I related to you my fear of ever driving through the state of Louisiana again because I get pulled over and searched down to the frame welds every damned time, there’s now a court case in Florida (where else?) that proves this is a real issue for those who “fit the profile.”

For the record, the “a drug dog is on the way” line has always been part of the experience for me as well. And I have always consented to the search as a means of “beating” a ticket that would probably never have been issued in the first place. This beating the ticket enticement isn’t mentioned, but I have to think it’s a big part of people consenting to a search. Keeping the cop standing on the side of the road not writing a ticket is classic “how to beat a ticket” advice from all the sources I’ve consulted on the matter.