2022 Lesson 6: Caselaw Update

This is an online Iowa legal update course for law enforcement officers. The lesson addresses recent court decisions providing guidance to Iowa police regarding the following questions:

• When does a drug dog’s alert on a car provide probable cause to search a vehicle’s passenger?

• During a traffic stop, when can an officer search the passengers’ belongings?

• May police lawfully obtain evidence after a warrantless entry into an apartment when the defendant commits a new crime, i.e., resisting arrest, during the encounter?

• What facts permit an officer to invoke informed consent and arrest a person for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated when no eyewitness has seen the person driving?

• How can a general description of a getaway vehicle and the vehicle’s temporal (relating to time) and geographic proximity to a crime scene factor into whether an officer has reasonable suspicion to make a Terry stop?