California v. Acevedo held that containers inside a car may be searched without a warrant if there is what?

California v. Acevedo held that containers inside a car may be searched without a warrant if there is what?

• A. Probable cause that evidence is inside
• B. Consent of the driver
• C. Exigent circumstances
• D. A warrant is always required

Answer: (A)

Police may search a container inside a car without a warrant when they have probable cause that the container holds contraband. California v. Acevedo clarifies that the automobile exception allows not only searches of the vehicle but also of specific containers within it, as long as the probable cause targets the container’s contents. The search can be conducted on the spot, without a warrant, because the focus is on the container that is inside the vehicle. This does not require consent or exigent circumstances, and it does not hinge on proving probable cause for the entire car. So the rule is: probable cause that the container contains evidence justifies a warrantless search of that container inside the car.

Police may search a container inside a car without a warrant when they have probable cause that the container holds contraband. California v. Acevedo clarifies that the automobile exception allows not only searches of the vehicle but also of specific containers within it, as long as the probable cause targets the container’s contents. The search can be conducted on the spot, without a warrant, because the focus is on the container that is inside the vehicle. This does not require consent or exigent circumstances, and it does not hinge on proving probable cause for the entire car. So the rule is: probable cause that the container contains evidence justifies a warrantless search of that container inside the car.