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IN: If a vehicle frisk for a weapon is proper, it can go into the locked glove compartment

By John Wesley Hall, Jr.

The officer stopping defendant was told that he was a suspect in several shootings, including a homicide. That, and defendant’s slowness to respond to the officer’s commands to get out of the car, were justification for a vehicle frisk for a weapon, including the locked glove compartment. Parish v. State, 2010 Ind. App. LEXIS 2062 (November 9, 2010): At the time of the traffic stop, Parish was a suspect in several shootings, including a homicide, and the police were on high alert that Parish was armed. Indeed, a “gang unit” officer had warned other officers that Parish had threatened to kill the next police officer he encountered and was even taking drugs in preparation for a shootout with the police. In addition, when Officer Foster first approached Parish’s car and told him to step out of the vehicle, Parish did not immediately comply...continue to full post

Full post as published by Fourth Amendment on November 15, 2010 (boomark / email).