“Our constitutional rights are worth only the paper they are written on unless we understand and exercise them.” – Nadine Strossmen, President, American Civil Liberties Union

As an American citizen you are protected from unreasonable searches and seizures by the 4th amendment, but police are not required to tell you that you have this right. Most police searches of vehicles could have easily been prevented if the suspect had just said NO, which they are allowed to do. Too many people think saying no to an officer’s request for a search is probable cause to be searched, but this is simply not true.

Every citizen should know ALL of their rights, especially when dealing with the police. Below are things to help you understand your rights and how to exercise them.

Files:
Police at Home Advice - A card to put on the back of your front door explaining what you should do if the police are at your door. Everyone should have one on their door, so cut one out for your door, and one for your friend’s door. (The file is a .pdf format, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.)

Links:
Flex Your Rights - Organization that made Busted: The Citizen’s Guide to Suriving Police Encounters. Their website goes into detail what your rights are, and the various ways you will have to assert them depending on the situation. They also discuss why you have the rights you do, including discussing Supreme Court Decisions that have weighed in on the matter.