From: stephen@sprunk.org

On 14-May-14 15:13, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:
> While this pertains to highways, it can have an adverse impact on
> railroad passengers and ordinary pedestrians, too.  Under the new
> law, you can be arrested even if you're not carrying contraband.

You are grossly exaggerating this.

This law only criminalized having a "secret compartment" in your vehicle
that the police can establish (beyond a reasonable doubt) is "intended"
to be used to carry contraband.  Basically, the goal is to be able to
nail smugglers on return trips when the compartment is empty--assuming
you're not smuggling things in both directions.

> The 'probable cause' to be stopped is made easy, too.

You are grossly exaggerating this as well.

Cops never needed "probable cause" to stop you; they only need
"reasonable suspicion".  And the standard for "probable cause" hasn't
changed one bit; all that this law does is allow warrantless searches of
a vehicle when the cops have probable cause, which many other states and
the federal govt already allow--and many courts in PA also already
allowed due to existing PA law not being clear on the matter.

> By the way, along these lines, would anyone know of a list that shows
> in what states one is required* to carry identification while merely
> walking down the street?
>
> *Either explicitly required by law or effectively required in that
> they'll make your life hell if you don't have ID.

Well, if you're including the latter...all of them.  That's not news.

When SCOTUS struck down vagrancy laws, it said the govt can't require
suspects to produce an ID card, but it did allow the govt to require
them to identify themselves when questioned, and many (mostly in the
South, where vagrancy laws originated as a replacement for "black
codes", also struck down by SCOTUS) have taken them up on that as the
next best thing.

S

--
Stephen Sprunk         "God does not play dice."  --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723         "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS        dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking

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