BJS: Bureau of Justice Statistics
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FAQ Detail
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What percentage of stopped drivers consented to traffic-stop related searches when requested by officers? Among the estimated 870,000 searches of the driver, vehicle, or both in 2008, about 187,000 were searches only of the driver, 226,000 were searches only of the vehicle, and 458,000 were searches of both the driver and the vehicle. An estimated 57.7% of driver-only (driver physically searched, frisked, or patted down by police) and 60.0% of vehicle-only searches were consent searches. About 50.8% of searches of both the driver and vehicle were conducted with consent. Consent searches occured because either the officer asks permission to perform a search and the driver then granted it, or the driver volunteered to allow the officer to conduct a search. Searches conducted without consent may occur because the police officer fails to ask permission before conducting the search, the officer asks but the driver refuses, or the search is conducted as a result of an arrest. Among drivers searched and arrested during a traffic stop in 2008, about 42.8% were searched after the arrest, and 57.2% were searched before the arrest |