Whats with an LEO asking how much cash you are carrying during a traffic stop?

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JLStorm

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I really try not to watch any of these cop shows because its frustrating seeing the scum (and for some reason often toothless members) of our society scene after scene. However, I was flipping through the channels at my hotel tonight and came accross some cop show where the first thing I saw was a cop starting a traffic stop with "can I see your license and registration", etc but a few seconds later she goes on to ask "how much cash are you carrying". I suppose to obtain probable cause to search the vehicle for drugs?

Now I have heard that you don't have to answer any questions a cop asks you technically, but I believe in being polite and courteous as officers have always done the same for me (I havent been stopped in around 10 years), but I would feel a little violated answering that question, I know its probably nothing big, but it seems a bit personal to me. I doubt anyone would ever actually ask me this question, but it just made me really curious.

Anyway, not trying to start any trouble, it was just the first time I had heard of this approach, and honestly who knows how much was cut out of the conversation that actually took place.

BTW, they did end up finding drugs in the car :D
 
short of asking if im taking more than 10,000$ (iirc) out of the country, they have no need to know.
 
Excuse me, ma'am . . .

. . . are you wearing underwear?

. . . do you own a dog?

. . . how much did your house cost?

. . . how many kids do you have?

. . . what's your annual salary?

. . . are you married?

. . . what's your security clearance?

After all, you have nothing to hide, right?
 
Back in the day I was pulled over when I drove the most beater pontiac sunbird on the planet. After the initial questioning the officer asked me if I had any large sums of money in the car. I slightly grinned as I scanned from left to right and casually said "No, no I don't". He realized it was a silly question and finished writing up m ticket.:eek:
 
You are seriously behind the times if you don't know this. For the past 10 years or so local PDs have been seizing any amount of cash over a few hundred bucks as "probable drug money"... no charges are needed and it's up to you to fight to get it back... and guess what, it'll cost you years and thousands of dollars to get your property/cash returned.

Why do they do this? The departments are allowed to pocket about 60% of the money they seize this way.

http://www.fff.org/freedom/1093c.asp
http://www.dailylobo.com/media/stor...te200701120137&sourcedomain=www.dailylobo.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13415622/
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1056139927409
http://www.the-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060927/NEWS/609270339/1005/news
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20040906/ai_n11476614


The list goes on.
 
It's actually mostly a southern thing. Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana, etc. were the trailblazers of this particular method of "fighting crime".
 
We used to call it tax-farming or highway robbery. Now it's "civil forfeiture". The reason you don't get due process is the unique legal theory that the property committed the offense by being connected with crime. You had nothing to do with it.

It really took off during the Reagan (La!) Administration. Ed Meese even had seminars on how it could be used to "enhance revenues" for law enforcement. Of course it started out just for "Drug Kingpins". Within in months the wholesale abuse was pretty much routine.

One of the best initiatives ever on the Oregon ballot was a bill that made a couple changes. First, no confiscation without conviction. Second, money and the proceeds of the sales of seized property went into the State's General Fund, not to the police departments that took it. Needless to say G-dless LIbrals and other Commie Traitors liked it. The Thin Blue Line of Gawd-Fearing Law Enforcement hated it.

Civil forfeiture dropped like a stone when it passed. Unfortunately, greedy prosecutors and thieving police departments have been tying it up in court for about six years.
 
Not to mention the fact that if he asks the question, no matter whether you answer "yes" or "no", you can be later charged with something.

If you have, say... $200 on you, and you say "No, I don't have a large amount of cash on me", they can respond, "What? $200 is not a lot of cash?" That's called "giving a false statement to a LEO" (or the local version).

If you say that you do indeed have a large amount of cash on you, then you just opened up a whole different can o' worms.
 
not just there

but you have to fill out a form if you buy a large amount of postal money orders. over 3 k. its funnny i could make seperate trips get 2999 at a trip and no prob but 3 k i need a form
 
Anything more than a question about license and registration, I will respond with a polite "Is this a fishing expedition? Am I being detained? If I am, let me call my attorney (I have prepaid legal insurance), while you get your supervisor. Otherwise I assume I am free to go? Thank you officer." I don't carry drugs or contraband in my car, and by not allowing Joe Blow, deputy sheriff of pascahoolie, near it, I will ensure it stays that way. You can only lose getting searched. If they find nothing, you will not be given a pat on the back, and they may be tempted to plant something.
 
I'd just laugh and tell him I wasn't carrying enough. That's enough of an answer to pass for small talk, but not an affirmative or a negative. I mean, who ever has enough cash? He can take that answer however he wants, but it would be easy for your lawyer to have some fun with in court should the need arise...
 
Why some of you people still think the police officer is being polite or making courteous small talk is beyond me. Don't talk!

Any weapons in the car?

:eek:
 
My last response to that....

....was "it depends on what you want to call a weapon." I said that as frankly as I could with a grin on my face. He huffed and asked about Guns/Knives/anything that can hurt me. I said "well, I've got a whole tool box all he way in the back, I'm sure I've got a knife in there, as well as screw drivers, wrenches and pliers, but no guns right now"

I guess if someone asked me if I had large sums of money, I'd have to ask them to clarify "large" There has been times that $50 was a lot.
 
"Ed Ames:
You are seriously behind the times if you don't know this. For the past 10 years or so local PDs have been seizing any amount of cash over a few hundred bucks as "probable drug money"... no charges are needed and it's up to you to fight to get it back... and guess what, it'll cost you years and thousands of dollars to get your property/cash returned.

Why do they do this? The departments are allowed to pocket about 60% of the money they seize this way."

I shoulda been a cop----free guns to carry anywhere any time without a permit and now a method to supplement your LEO income santioned by a seriously dysfunctional U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Man -o- Man!!!!! God save the United States.:fire:
 
I tend to carry a not-insignificant (upwards of $500, less than $1k) amount of cash around with me; I have no problem swiping my credit card on all sorts of things I want but don't need, but handing over actual greenbacks is another story. It's my emergency fund, available but not likely to be used.

Nice to know it could all be seized as drug money even though I don't even drink caffeine. :rolleyes:
 
nothin new

got held a couple days in early 80's after a traffic stop revealed a bunch of cash. i got it back when released though. i did have to declare it as gambling winnings to the irs
 
Probably the best response would be, "Who carries cash these days?"

Personally, I usually only carry around $20. With just about every business accepting debit/credit cards these days, actual cash isnt usually needed.
 
Carry a thick wad of some weird, massively devalued foreign currency on you... you know, the ones where the denomination is like 1,000,000 and there's a huge picture of some dictator with a chest full of medals adorning it. You could always sheepishly admit to yes, carrying 10,000,000,000 kopecks with you, and here you are officer... even though the wad is worth like $.38
 
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