Opinion ID: 852726
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Canine Sniff Test and Probable Cause

Text: The defendant next contends that, even if conducted in the course of the traffic stop, the canine sniff search and the ensuing search of the vehicle's interior were constitutionally improper because of the absence of probable cause. As noted above, however, the United States Supreme Court has determined that the use of such narcotics-detection dogs to sniff the exterior of an automobile does not implicate Fourth Amendment privacy interests. Probable cause is thus not a prerequisite to the use of this police investigative technique. We are persuaded that the positive reaction of the narcotics-detection dog to the exterior of the defendant's vehicle, however, especially in light of the defendant's dilated pupils, his extreme nervousness, and the presence of heavy cologne mist, constituted probable cause for further police investigation regarding the contents of the vehicle's interior.