Protecting your personal freedoms is a complicated task in the modern world, where many of the legal boundaries around personal rights and property are often shifting. When it comes to personal effects like a water bottle, you may face difficulty keeping a police officer from searching it if you are in public, but still, have some legal options available if such an interaction with the police leads to criminal charges.
Police have fairly broad rights to search your personal items if you are in public and if they have any reason to suspect you of a crime. If, for instance, you exhibit behavior consistent with intoxication, a police officer may have probable cause to search you and your belongings without a warrant.
If a police officer asks to search your water bottle or some other common container, such as a cooler, you may simply decline to give him or her permission. It is possible that the officer needs your permission in order to search the container in question, and there is nothing wrong or incriminating about simply saying, "No, I do not consent to you searching my water bottle," for instance. If you do not consent to the search and they search the container anyway, you may have grounds to dismiss the charges later on.
Any charges that arise from police searching your personal property should receive swift and direct attention. You may have many more defensive tools available than you realize if you know what they are and how to use them. An experienced attorney is a strong resource you can use to understand legal nuances that may work in your favor as you fight for your rights and freedoms to remain protected. Call us today at (931) 283-2311 to get discuss your case.