Gun Safes in Cars Searchable?

So I was thinking if you put your goods in a small heavy duty fireproof handgun safe in your car, and the police pull you over and claim to smell weed so they decide to search your car, do you have to let them into the safe?

What happens if you don't give them the combo?

Do they have the legal right to confiscate or break into it?

I'm thinking the cops may not have though of this possibility yet as far as legality is concerned which would certainly help a lot of people.

dunno, i'd have thought they'd need a warrant to demand the opening of someones safe. regardless where it is.

in the same way (someone correct me on this if i got this wrong ) the police cannot go into the internals of your car on a suspision and it must be impounded first, hence dealers use of things like the insides of the gearbox etc, not to mention it's a bit more sly than a gun safe cops find a safe in the car and they smell weed, they'll know what's what, whether they've seen it before or not, it's about as subtle and unobvious as a big doobie hangin outta yer mouth

but as you say, if they don't have the power to demand it opened immediately, then you're pretty safe.maybe

theres many things that fall into that. the only thing they can do and get away is a frisk "searching for weapons ect." u dont admit to anything at all. ask if your being detained. if he states no then say ok im free to go thats your right.

smell gives them probable cause to search.. although a locked truck or safe would require

a warrant or the owners consent to open. sry about the multi posts

If you give cops consent to search your car then everything is searchable (backpacks, safes, compartments, ect...) If you're holding a lot of weight it's best to never give consent. If you have only a few grams hidden really well then I'd just consent. Most likely than not most cops will just pop the trunk look around a bit in your car and then your on your way home.

Now if you don't know/forgot the safe's code (that's what I'd say) then I guess they could just take the safe or have a locksmith come in and break it open (which I wouldn't refuse to, it just makes your story more believable that you don't know and are willing to help the cops in their investigation). Don't refuse to give up the code (that's if you've already given consent) that would be interfering with a police investigation/ lying to a cop. Always try to be as honest as possible without putting yourself in harms way. Remember you also have a right to remain silent. You are in no way doing anything wrong by being silent.

Ronjohn7779 said:

If you give cops consent to search your car then everything is searchable (backpacks, safes, compartments, ect...) If you're holding a lot of weight it's best to never give consent. If you have only a few grams hidden really well then I'd just consent. Most likely than not most cops will just pop the trunk look around a bit in your car and then your on your way home.

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yeah. when our car get;s searched, it's generally a cursory look around in bags, glove compartment, doors etc, body searches, and that's it.

and even if you give them permission, they are not allowed to start dismantiling the car, they can only look in accessible places. in the same way if a cop knocks on your door and you let him in, he can look at what's onyour table, and maybe he'll take a look in your fridge, but if he wants to take a look in a closet, your bedside draws etc, that's a whole other issue, he needs some paperwork to do that!

tip top toker said:

yeah. when our car get;s searched, it's generally a cursory look around in bags, glove compartment, doors etc, body searches, and that's it.

and even if you give them permission, they are not allowed to start dismantiling the car, they can only look in accessible places. in the same way if a cop knocks on your door and you let him in, he can look at what's onyour table, and maybe he'll take a look in your fridge, but if he wants to take a look in a closet, your bedside draws etc, that's a whole other issue, he needs some paperwork to do that!

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Personally I think you are totally wrong (then again the law is only shades of gray their is NO black or white). What you said contradicts 90% of what I've learned in All my law classes (granted these were just college level law classes 200 and 300 level), but the people teaching me were well respected lawyers and states attorneys. One of my teachers was cool enough to show us how to deal with the cops so I'm basing my knowledge on that.

Once a cop has permission to search or has probable cause your pretty much at their whims. Most cops cops aren't going to rip your shit up or search you crazy style, but if they really want to find out whats in this guys safe they will. Especially if permission was given to them or if they have probable cause to search the car (like finding a joint, or smell). Bottom line though to the OP I've read safes in a car or tool caddies in a truck bed are dead ringers for people storing drugs. So you might want to consider that.

Ronjohn7779 said:

Personally I think you are totally wrong (then again the law is only shades of gray their is NO black or white). What you said contradicts 90% of what I've learned in All my law classes (granted these were just college level law classes 200 and 300 level), but the people teaching me were well respected lawyers and states attorneys. One of my teachers was cool enough to show us how to deal with the cops so I'm basing my knowledge on that.

Once a cop has permission to search or has probable cause your pretty much at their whims. Most cops cops aren't going to rip your shit up or search you crazy style, but if they really want to find out whats in this guys safe they will. Especially if permission was given to them or if they have probable cause to search the car (like finding a joint, or smell). Bottom line though to the OP I've read safes in a car or tool caddies in a truck bed are dead ringers for people storing drugs. So you might want to consider that.

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i most probably am wrong i'm very very high. what i mean was that if a cop drives up and starts asking questions, until he impounds your car, he can't start taking it to pieces, that is to say start removing panels and such. i'm in the uk, could be different here, and i could still be very wrong. but that's how i've been led to understand it so yay for my ignorance?

Ronjohn7779 said:

Most likely than not most cops will just pop the trunk look around a bit in your car and then your on your way home.

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Or, you consent at a time when you really didn't have anything to hide, and they proceed spread your shit all over the highway and trash your pickup only to literally leave you on the side of the highway by yourself as they drive off, and you are stuck along side the intersate putting all your shit back where it belongs as traffic rushes by you.


I could of beat someone to death that day, I swear.

yalls is some busters if you think being honest is the best way to go.

use your right to remain silent. admit to NOTHING past or future.

never allow for a search of your vehicle. always refuse, even when you dont have anything to hide REFUSE.
if a cop plays the honesty will get you farther role<which they usually do>a cop cannot provide legal counsel nor cares about you enough to let you go.

they will say they are your friend. they will say they can help if you are honest

they will ask why you refuse a consentual search if you have nothing to hide?
my response, FUCK YOU ITS MY CONSTITUCIONAL RIGHT AND I REFUSE TO CONCEDE.

once you admit something, anything to a cop it can and WILL be used in a court of law.

basically you just fucked yourself

if the cop smelled something then he will have reasonable suspicion and therefore can without a warrant, search you. this search is limited to the suspicion of said activity.

say for example cops says he smells bud. he cannot search your car/house/work/ie for weapons or any other contraband. he must search for drugs. specifically marijuana.

this holds true with anything else.

so to use a safe in your vehicle would create a solution but a problem as well.

if the car is registered to your name there is no doubt that you know the combination/have the key to the safe. therefore anything in it is yours.

if it isnt registered to your name the owner may be contacted and in the faculty of ownership may be asked to open the safe. ALWAY REFUSE.

the officer may ask you or the owner to show weapon permit. if you fail to provide one, joe superhero now has reasonable suspicion. why you ask? well, why would you have a gun safe in your car if you are not legally allowed to transport one?mr cop guy now thinks you have an unlawful weapon and can search ANYWHERE in your car although he needs a warrant to open the safe. which renders your safe useless because regarless if he has a warrant or not you are not going to be given access to your car until after an investigation, in which case you are fucked because car will be impounded.

say all you had was the smell of weed but nothing in the car<no seeds,bud,paraphanelia> based on reasonable suspicion you just fucked yourself.

play it smart. avoid driving around town with any contraband. you will sleep better at night.

you get the picture?

See and thats exactly why a cop shouldn't be allowed to use his nose to generate enough reasonable suspicion to legally execute a search, because what really is going on is all he has to do is "SAY" he smelled marijuana, he doesn't actually have to smell it, and how the hell is anyone ever going to be able to contest this officer and prove he didnt smell marijuana, when in fact that officer is the ONLY person in this world that claims to have smelled marijuana, but yet his statements are held as the word of God, and cannot be refuted.


Wow, we are getting the shaft big time.

exactly spandy

So just to be clear... If I have non-smelling goods in a gun-safe in the trunk of a car that I am a passenger in, the officer can still search my safe, making the safe useless?

Not sure about most states but in Georgia they needed a warrant to search the trunk. Of course if they have suspicion how they get around this is by using the smell card, and then forcing you take one those practically unpassable roadside sobriety tests. If and when you fail that they'll just tow your car (assuming you didn't have a licensed passenger) and then they can take an "inventory" of any area, and bust locks if need be.