California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Patterson, E063168 (Cal. App. 2016):
so found, the search or seizure was reasonable under the Fourth Amendment, we exercise our independent judgment."' [Citations.]" (People v. Suff, supra, 58 Cal.4th at p. 1053.)
B. There Was Probable Cause for the Traffic Stop
"The Fourth Amendment guarantees the right to be free of unreasonable searches and seizures by law enforcement personnel." (People v. Evans (2011) 200 Cal.App.4th 735, 742.) "An automobile stop is thus subject to the constitutional imperative that it not be 'unreasonable' under the circumstances. As a general matter, the decision to stop an automobile is reasonable where the police have probable cause to believe that a traffic violation has occurred." (Whren v. U.S. (1996) 517 U.S. 806, 810.) "If there is a legitimate reason for the stop, the subjective motivation of the officers is irrelevant." (People v. Lomax (2010) 49 Cal.4th 530, 564; Whren v. U.S., supra, at p. 813.)
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