I’ve had my car searched before. It was unlawful.

This was over 20 years ago when it happened. I was about 19 at the time and in college. The cop ordered me to sit on the curb while he tore up my car. I was a dude with long hair at the time and when he pulled me over for the tinted windows he said that he, “saw shake in the backseat.”

The shake in the backseat was fiction.

Car got torn up, he said he thought my eyedrops were GHB and that he wanted to test them. I told him that’s fine.

He came back to me after a few minutes and said that his test kit is expired and that he was going to call someone else out to test it.

Second cop comes up, he’s less of a dick than the first guy. Goes to his trunk, fucks around, determines his kit is also expired.

A third cop comes out. Also, less of a dick than the first guy. They test my eyedrops and determine they are eyedrops, not GHB.

First cop resumes tearing up my car.

First cop asks me, “where are you going?”

I tell him I’m on my way to work.

He asks me if I am in school. I replied, “yes, UCF.”

He asks, “what are you studying?”

“I’m a junior in the pre-law track with a minor in criminal justice.”

He then decided he was going to “let me go.”

The whole time this is happening there’s an older dude with long grey hair sitting across the street with a couple of grocery bags watching the whole thing. Cops asked him what he was doing a couple of times and he would tell them he’s watching what’s happening on the walk home from the grocery store. After the cops were gone, and I was doing my best to reassemble my car, he came by to say he was going to be a witness for me in case something went down. He went on to explain how he was a Vietnam vet and when he got back to the states he had been arrested for smoking a joint, and has subsequently hated cops ever since. He then told me his son is a lawyer and if I needed help with this scenario to get in touch.

Awesome guy. He was 100% the shit.

The second and third cop were pretty reasonable for cops.

I hope the first cop ended up getting repeatedly gang raped in a prison.

Bro are you okay?

Only things like airport security, or when going to music festivals or other events, they’ll (sometimes) check you for weapons.

Lived in 4 different countries in the past decade, all in the EU.

Yes, in the US, at an airport, I was selected for additional screening by a TSA agent. The agent put on gloves and patted me down. He had me extend my arms out and said he was going to check my waistband. When he got around to the back, he shoved a finger down my ass crack and wiggled it, then continue on. It took half a second. My mind blanked.

I called to make a complaint the next day but got nowhere. Too late, too “minor”, not enough details or evidence from me. I was told it didn’t really happen, because if it had I would have spoken up in the moment.

If I am ever selected for patdown again, I intend to ask for an agent of the same gender as me, to have a supervisor observing, and cameras recording.

2 years ago I went for a walk at night and marked police car pulled up by me, they got out of the car, asked for my ID, asked a couple of questions, searched me and left.

The whole interaction was pretty short and they were really proffessional.

(This was in Europe).

I was moving from Alaska to Boston, so I had to pass through Canada. Everything I owned was crammed into my Honda Element and I was driving it solo across North America.

I re-entered the US at a border crossing in North Dakota. I pulled up to the window and without saying anything else the officer pointed at a detached garage and told me to pull into it. As I slowly pulled into the garage, there was only enough light to see the outlines of the walls. When I turned off my car, super bright lights were switched on and I saw 6-8 heavily armed border officers with bulletproof vests on either side of the car. One of them instructed me to get out of the car and give him my keys. He also took my passport and took me into a small room in the garage that had 1-way mirrors (so they could observe me and I couldn’t see out) and then he locked me inside. There was nothing inside the room except a few folding plastic chairs – nothing to read and nothing to look at, nothing aesthetically pleasing at all. I could hear them going through my car, removing my plastic totes full of shit and searching through them. After what was probably 20 minutes, they opened the door, handed me my keys and passport and told me, “You’re free to go, welcome home.”

I got randomly selected at an airport (surpise im brown) The crotch patting in the middle of the airport while hella ppl watch was weird af ngl, Itried to make it awkward for them but it was still ass. I was just talking loudly about what was happening the whole time, like oh you actually touch me there wild, out in the open crazy, this was the columbus airport and I obviously sound like im from california not indian, my friend was just lowkey in shock half laughing half staring in shock that I actually got randomly searched. I had a microfiber cloth in my pocket which prob set it off to be fair, was just awkward af that it was only me to get selected. This was after lost lands so there were hella white ravers in the airport ahead of us.

Important context: White male 20something, big expensive sedan, Early 2000s YMMV.

On the highway in the Deep South United States. Pulled over for speeding. Police wanted to search the car. I refused, they called in a K9.

I was pulled to the side of the road and sat down in the grass while we waited for the dog. Bunch of other officers started rolling up and just hanging out expecting what I can only imagine to be the biggest bust in a while.

The K9 got a hit and they searched the entire car. They found a glass pipe buried in an old cigar box in the back of the car in a book bag. The cops were absolutely and completely confused. “There has to be more, the dog woulda never hit on this if there wasn’t more.” The cops kept searching.

I wasn’t handcuffed or anything, someone was just watching me. A pipe was a misdemeanor where I’m from, but jail time/probation where I was stopped.

After an hour of searching they found nothing else and handed me my pipe and box and told me to throw it in the woods and to leave. Wasn’t worth the paperwork.

Absolutely not an issue, but I’m not living in the US, so we have real police, not just cops.

I had a large bag with a white powder on the passenger seat, but they were probably a bit disappointed that they did not catch a drug lord. It was just sodium alginate to make ice cream.

Never searched other than at airports security check.

But I have been questioned by airport security guards outside the airport.

I was at my favourite photo spot by the airport, it was evening, late summer in Sweden, there had been an gorgeous sunset, with aircrafts landing directly into the sunset.

Anyway, I was almost done and wanted to take a few more photos of the next aircraft coming into land.

The photo spot I was at was outside the fence but among the approach lights, it is a very popular spot to watch aircraft.

Anyway, as I am standing there with my camera on a tripod, waiting for the next plane, I see two small cars with emergency lights comming from opposite ends of the road, stopping by the barrier to stop cars from driving up among the lights, two guards approach me.

And I stand there, overweight, wearing a linnen shirt and linnen shorts, with a camera on a tripod, and before they could say anything, I just asked innocently “Hi, have I done something wrong?”.

They were clearly not really sure and responded in a slightly sheepish tone “We are not really sure…”

I explained that I was just about to take some last photos before heading back to the bus to go home.

There wasn’t much more to say, I packed up my things and walked back to the bus stop.

Second to last time I visited Spain, I was selected randomly for an extra check at the airport as I was traveling home to Sweden, they swabbed my jacket and my backpack, they were perfectly polite and professional.

Yes. I have been thrown against a wall and very intimately frisked by police for looking at them wrong.

But - that was in LA when cops there were basically just a well armed gang. I’ve never experienced anything that crazy since.

Most of the searches I’ve gone through have been less than lawful. I don’t think most lawful officers spend their days doing stop and search. Policing was different 20 years ago, haven’t had problems with the police in almost 10 years

Only time I was searched was in the Fall following 9/11 coming back from a hunting trip. Got pulled aside at the border, presumably because I was a teenager in a new pickup, and searched by US National Guardsman with automatic rifles.

Their leader came up to me while I watched 4 other guys diligently search every accessible crevice in the cab, underside and wheel wells. He seemed confused why I had been set aside for search. I shrugged and just said “he pointed so I pulled over” Took 10 minutes tops and they didn’t damage anything (thank goodness. They could have taken knives to the cushions). Haven’t had a problem at the border since. FTR white Canadian.

My advice? Don’t be rude, and don’t assume they have a bone to pick with you. If you are or do you WILL have a problem and people can cry ‘rights’ and ‘lawsuit’ all they want but I for one would rather avoid BS than antagonize. It is possible to assert your rights and not be an asshole. Thread that needle.

I was for stuff that is so mundane I don’t feel like typing it all. I was profiled for driving a cheap car at 2am in a nice area. I’m super white in the worst kind of privileged way, like tall, broad shoulders and can easily turn my slight southern accent on and off. I refused to let them search the car on principal alone, so they did a light search of my person. There was an issue with my license that let them do whatever to search me, but I know exactly what to say. By that I mean I know better than to say anything or interfere with a cop. They are not a judge and whatever they do is their own thing.

The cop made up that my tag light was out. I took pics the next day including all of the original DOT markings on the lamp and included a newspaper in the background with the date because that is enough for a court to accept the date in question. I then brought my business license, business cards from two businesses, and a picture of my old shop to show I am a professional auto body painter. I then testified that the vehicle was unaltered from the night before I was pulled over and that it was in full working order as it was originally designed and equipped. The judge dismissed my ticket, told the cop to approach the bench, and for me to leave the courtroom first. I did as instructed. A few minutes later the very pissed off cop came storming out of the courtroom and left immediately. I have no clue what was said or what happened, but it felt good to see it.

Cops can say anything. You must comply with anything they tell you to do, even if it is illegal. Cops are not judges. If they break the law, you must be able to testify precisely how and what they did for the whole incident. They get home field advantage so you have no room for error or questionable conduct. The trick is to know your rights and give them no room to maneuver. Never roll your window all the way down. If you are instructed to exit the vehicle, do so after rolling up the window, removing the key, and locking the door behind you. Never talk or volunteer any information whatsoever. When you’re pulled over, put both hands either on the steering wheel, or better yet, put them palm up at the window like anyone that is carrying a legal concealed weapon is supposed to do. You will be asked about a concealed weapon at which point to tell them what you do or do not have and that you are only doing your best to put them at ease for their safety. When they must start off testimony with that detail, you greatly diminished their home field advantage with a double play out of the gate.

Security screening in Equatorial Guinea. Turned out the hotel had booked the president and this riffraff offshore crew at the same time. This was fine provided that we were OK with being searched for weapons or anything deemed suspicious.

Full pat down plus luggage search, nothing too major. A coworker of mine had a pair of binoculars confiscated, that’s all.