Reason.TV has a new piece: “Anal Probes Run Amok: Drug-Sniffing Dogs Must Be Stopped”
- DrugWarRant.com, the longest running single-issue blog devoted to drug policy
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Thanks Pete. I’m not sure how we approach that issue if the Supremes grant a presumption of proper training, and give carte blanche to anything with fur, teeth and four feet.
I assume a defense attorney would have to produce a canine expert who could testify about the behavior of the dog in question. Essentially the burden of proof is shifted to the defense, turning the Constitution on its head.
Dogs alert even on unconscious cues from handlers. A friend has a tire business where Border Patrol agents would come for training, hiding a target inside a truck tire and wheel and then showing trainees how to run the dog through the stack and find the target. He watched, and told the trainer he was alerting the dog. Trainer denied it. He bet him $100 that if the trainer went outside and let him hide the target, the dog wouldn’t find it. He won the bet, but the Border Patrol agent refused to pay, and apparently truly believed he wasn’t cuing his animal.
they ve been recruiting idiots again. this cop/border guard is clearly a logic- free zone.
We can’t rely on the Supreme Court to curb this kind of crap as it’s as corrupted as the other branches. The only way is to make our own law by citizens’ initiatives.
What is wrong with the police in Deming, NM? Are they all complete retards? Any sane person should stay the frap away from Deming.
They’re digging their own fiscal graves with this. The changing, cannabis-savvy electorate is not going to allow this to continue for much longer. And the best way to fight back is through cutting Federal grant funding to local police departments. Which is what several people in Congress are calling for.
I worked with SAR dogs back in the 1970’s, and nothing’s changed since then. A dog is an animal that looks for approval from its’ ‘alpha’ (the handler) and will do all it can to elicit a reward response. It will watch the handler very closely for any subconscious movements to indicate a course of action that might lead to that reward.
And, needless to say, it WILL give false ‘alerts’ to achieve that. And that’s not mentioning anything about the handler being dodgy. As Mr. Sullum points out so succinctly, that latter situation happens with way too much frequency.
In my experience dogs generally never miss an opportunity to stop and sniff an Ass. The idea that this behavior could be could be considered probable cause for a body cavity search on the whim of some cop with a room temperature IQ and an attitude problem is quite disturbing.
Since dogs love smelling Asses so much, why aren’t their handlers considered “probable cause”.
Boil your stems into a tea and spray every police car at the doughnut shop.
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It will work much better if you use ethanol instead of water. Since it’s not for human consumption you could save a few bucks and use isopropyl. Cannabis just doesn’t have a high rate of miscibility in water.
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Hey, isn’t there a famous painting called “Dogs Sniffing Drugs”?