Are the cops allowed to search my car without my permission if my fiance is driving it?
Question Details: My fiance was stopped while driving my car. While being questioned by one officer, another officer began searching the car. Once the officer had searched the car, they ran my fiance through their system and decided to arrest him. I am wondering if the cop had the right to seach my car without my permission.
An officer has a right to search a vehicle if 1) they believe a crime has been committed 2) A proper search incident to arrest has occurred. Typically what happens is that the police will make a routine traffic stop, such as a stop for running a red light or stop sign. Once they approach and ask for identification, they will run a person's criminal lien history to see if there are any open warrants on the person. If so, the police can make an arrest of that person, and then perform a search of the vehicle. This appears to be what happened to your fiance.
