"Drug" searches on my Amtrak round trip - racial profiling?

[Ispolkom]

Any search without warrant is unlawful.

That is simply not true. I think you're confusing "probable cause" with "warrant."

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Any search without warrant is unlawful.

That is simply not true. I think you're confusing "probable cause" with "warrant."

Let's also avoid confusing probable cause with a genuinely reasonable suspicion and remember that warrants are sometimes granted with a rubber stamp or even ignored entirely. The problem is that the rules only seem to apply to one side. The "acquitted on a technicality" hype is a rare exception compared to the barely discussed "convicted on a technicality" reality. We already have more people incarcerated than any other country on earth and the number is only getting larger over time.

Indeed it is guaranteed to never get smaller because our government has signed contracts that have turned criminal punishment into a for-profit business that is guaranteed a minimum number of convicts no matter what happens in court. A business that continuously lobbies for stricter laws and harsher punishments. What we used to do as tricks and pranks when when we were young comes with severe punishments and lifelong branding today.

If this happened in any other context or culture we'd probably call it fascism, but since we've become so immune to introspection we simply call it business as usual.

 

[BCL]

Any search without warrant is unlawful.

That is simply not true. I think you're confusing "probable cause" with "warrant."

Probable cause is the standard needed to obtain a warrant or perform an arrest. Reasonable suspicion is the standard needed for law enforcement to carry out an involuntary search without a warrant.

 

[Ispolkom]

Any search without warrant is unlawful.

That is simply not true. I think you're confusing "probable cause" with "warrant."

Probable cause is the standard needed to obtain a warrant or perform an arrest. Reasonable suspicion is the standard needed for law enforcement to carry out an involuntary search without a warrant.

Absolutely correct. Hoisted by my own petard, I am.