Rhode Island Supreme Court · 1992
State v. Werner
In Rhode Island, probable cause that a vehicle holds contraband or evidence lets you search it without a warrant, under both the Fourth Amendment and Article I, Section 6. No separate exigency is required, even if the vehicle can no longer move or is in police custody.
615 A.2d 1010 (R.I. 1992)
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State v. Halstead
An investigatory vehicle stop needs reasonable suspicion built from specific, articulable facts, not a hunch. A rental truck at 4:30 a.m. in a high-crime area, going 15–20 mph under the limit, with both occupants staring at officers, was enough. A routine inventory of a lawfully impounded vehicle is also permitted.
414 A.2d 1138
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