Secret compartments in cars are a felony

[slidelock]

I just read about this. I have a bull dog safe installed underneath my front seat. Am I correct that it could be called a secret compartment?

[TJW815]

Well that can be seen without really digging into the car. IANAL, but I think your safe.

[DontTreadOnMe]

Only if there's visible residue of illegal drugs or controlled substances.

[SMMAssociates]

The original law pretty much ate up anything that wasn't easily visible. It was updated to require visible contraband or residue.

Makes it a little itchy for us, but probably not fatally so unless you have a habit of carrying $100 bills.

Just IMHO/IANAL, that gun safe probably wouldn't pass muster as "Secret" if a slightly more than casual examination would reveal it. What they're looking for are the guys who really bury their contraband in the vehicle - behind door panels, inside the rocker panels, etc., and a bunch of other very non-standard design mods.

Regards,

[TSiWRX]

Only if there's visible residue of illegal drugs or controlled substances.

^ Be sure to wipe your hands free of powdered sugar before you disarm/arm-up!

Not sure of smiley to use - or or

[rg920]

Officer: "Do you mind if I search your vehicle?"
Me: "Sir/Ma'am, I do not consent to any search. Am I being detained or am I free to go?"

[TSiWRX]

^ That shouldn't get the "twisted evil" smiley. That's the right thing to do!

[ohiozx3]

I never really understood this. some cars are built with secret compartments. my car has one in the hatch area that looks like a piece of trim and it pops off and is a storage compartment. is this illegal? one could only assume at this point that this would only apply to non factory compartments. but who knows.

[SMMAssociates]

ohiozx3:

IMHO/IANAL, any such compartment should NOT be covered by this (stupid) law....

The idea is that the average LEO can be given a list of legal compartments, and needs to be on the lookout for things that are NOT on his list.

Hiding stuff in compartments that the average LEO should know about is really not a good way to transport contraband ....

Putting the stuff inside tires, parts of the gas tank, etc., is more likely, but LE generally knows about those tricks. Finding out that the "ski pass-through" portal between the rear seat area and the trunk now has a container in it may not be well known....

Guess the point is that if you add something to your vehicle that's not relatively noticeable (doesn't matter if it's lockable or not) it may be a problem. Otherwise, no problem.

My last Lincoln had two "hidden compartments" in the trunk. Big enough to hide a gun or two. However, most LEO's should have been aware of their existence, and there was no lock. Also, it came with the car, so it's OK already. Of course, all these are subject to inspection if you give permission to search, and you can presume that they will. Had I added another compartment back there, it would have been a no-no.

In short, if it came with the vehicle, don't worry about it. If somebody added it (you, or a previous owner), worry.... Even then, though, if it's readily visible, it's likely not a problem.

Regards,

[mreising]

The law was to address compartments that were not installed at the time of manufacture.

[cityboy]

What they're looking for are the guys who really bury their contraband in the vehicle - behind door panels, inside the rocker panels, etc., and a bunch of other very non-standard design mods.

I discussed this with Senator Gayle Manning before this trash law was passed.
I told her I would modify my vehicle as I saw fit as it is MY property.
In the long run, AS GOVERNMENT ALWAYS DOES, this law will be used to further encroach on the civil liberties of the law abiding. I told the Senator this was a direct violation of the fourth amendment. She responded in typical Republican fashion....the attitude of the ends justify the means...your rights be damned.
I also shared with her the fact that if people like her weren't so busy going about telling others what to/what not to put into their bodies, there would be no need to go after those "evil drug users". I suggested that if "illegal" drugs were decriminalized, that the profit motive of "the bad guys" would diminish.

I'm curious to see if, in time, the police will have cause to search a vehicle if they suspect that a hidden compartment may be found, with or without residue.
Ultimately, for lovers of liberty, there may very well come a day when a "secret compartment" may be needed to "smuggle" whatever it is the political majority decides as contraband against the political minority.

This law needs to be eliminated, regardless of anyone's opinion on the government created "drug problem."

[TSiWRX]

It's now wintertime.

The little micro-safe chained under my seat sometimes gets a bit of road/sidewalk-treatment crusted on the outside. I'm sure that many of us here in Ohio have seen this kind of residue on their door-sills, floor-mats, or door-cards and consoles, where our feet would hit those surfaces.

Huh. I wonder what that substance is? Cause for search?

I bet I could find a "hidden compartment" in just about every vehicle manufactured within the last 10 years pretty easily.

I understand the point of this law. But as a law-abiding citizen, I don't like it one bit.

[CroManGun]

It's now wintertime.

The little micro-safe chained under my seat sometimes gets a bit of road/sidewalk-treatment crusted on the outside. I'm sure that many of us here in Ohio have seen this kind of residue on their door-sills, floor-mats, or door-cards and consoles, where our feet would hit those surfaces.

Huh. I wonder what that substance is? Cause for search?

I bet I could find a "hidden compartment" in just about every vehicle manufactured within the last 10 years pretty easily.

I understand the point of this law. But as a law-abiding citizen, I don't like it one bit.

The residue is probably road salt. But to the highly trained eye of a LEO it could be classified as a "white powdery substance", RAS for a thorough vehicle search.
You're doomed if they bring in the salt-sniffing K9 unit.

[JediSkipdogg]

You're doomed if they bring in the salt-sniffing K9 unit.

Kind of funny but we were talking the other day of what happens when they legallize marijuana in Ohio. You have all these drug K9s that are trained to hit on it so they are going to give alot of false positives. So a dog hits on a legal substance because he was trained to do so and that's now PC to search a car.

[djthomas]

Kind of funny but we were talking the other day of what happens when they legallize marijuana in Ohio. You have all these drug K9s that are trained to hit on it so they are going to give alot of false positives. So a dog hits on a legal substance because he was trained to do so and that's now PC to search a car.

Thankfully others are already grappling with this very issue. The answer seems to be it depends and god help us the first time the defense attorneys gets a cocaine bust thrown out because we cannot prove beyond a doubt that the dog didn't hit on the legal quantity of marijuana out in the open as opposed to the hermetically sealed coke bricks under the floorboards.