Cuffs and Case Law Podcast

Can police use a drug dog during a traffic stop without probable cause? Can officers delay a traffic stop while waiting for a K9? In this episode of Cuffs & Case Law , we break down two landmark Supreme Court decisions that define when police can legally conduct a K9 free-air sniff during a traffic stop: Illinois v. Caballes (2005) and Rodriguez v. United States (2015). These cases establish o...

Can police seize drugs they discover during a lawful pat-down search? In this episode of Cuffs & Case Law, we break down Minnesota v. Dickerson (1993), the Supreme Court case that created the Plain Feel Doctrine and established when officers can seize contraband detected through the sense of touch during a Terry frisk. The Court held that officers may seize contraband discovered during a lawfu...

Can police enter your home without a warrant if they're trying to help rather than investigate a crime? In this episode of Cuffs & Case Law, we break down two Supreme Court cases that define the limits of the community caretaking doctrine: • Cady v. Dombrowski (1973) • Caniglia v. Strom (2021) Community caretaking allows police officers to perform important public safety functions that are unr...

You get pulled over. The officer gives you a warning, hands your license back, and starts to walk away. Then comes one more question:“Mind if I search your car?”Most people assume the traffic stop is over at that point — or that police must tell you you’re free to leave before asking for consent to search. In Ohio v. Robinette, the Supreme Court addressed that exact issue. In this episode of Cuffs...

Do police officers actually have the authority to order you out of your car during a traffic stop? What about passengers? In this episode of the Cuffs & Case Law Podcast, we break down two major Supreme Court cases that shaped modern traffic stop law: • Pennsylvania v. Mims (1977) • Maryland v. Wilson (1997) These cases established that police officers can order both drivers and passengers out...

Miranda rights are one of the most misunderstood concepts in criminal law. Most people know the warning—but very few understand when it actually applies. In this episode of Cuffs & Case Law, we break down the 7 Supreme Court cases that define modern Miranda law and explain how courts determine whether a person is truly "in custody" for Fifth Amendment purposes. Using real-world examples and pr...

What are Miranda Rights, where did they come from, and what do Miranda warnings actually require police officers to do? In this episode of Cuffs & Case Law, we break down Miranda v. Arizona (1966), the landmark Supreme Court decision that created the Miranda warning and forever changed police interrogations in the United States. Most people know the phrase, "You have the right to remain silent...

When can police conduct a protective sweep inside a home without a search warrant? In this episode of Cuffs & Case Law, we break down Maryland v. Buie (1990), the Supreme Court case that established the modern rules governing protective sweeps during in-home arrests. Protective sweeps are one of the most important officer-safety doctrines in Fourth Amendment law—but they are also one of the mo...

Full Description: In this episode of Cuffs & Case Law, we break down one of the most important cases in modern policing: 👉 Terry v. Ohio (1968) 📖 Read the full case here: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/392/1/ (Episode does include preview to full breakdown) This landmark decision established the legal foundation for stop and frisk, allowing officers to briefly detain and pat dow...

​  @CuffsandCaseLaw  Can police make a felony arrest without a warrant? Yes — but only in the right place, under the right circumstances. In this episode of Cuffs and Case Law, we break down where police officers can — and absolutely cannot — arrest a felony suspect without a warrant, using three critical U.S. Supreme Court decisions that every officer should know: United States v. Watson United S...

When can police enter property without a warrant — and when does it violate the Fourth Amendment? In this episode of Cuffs and Case Law, we break down the concept of curtilage, one of the most misunderstood areas of constitutional law for police officers. Using real Supreme Court cases, we explain the difference between: Open fields Curtilage The home Driveways and front porches And we introduce a...

​  ⁨@CuffsandCaseLaw⁩  Anonymous Tip = Traffic Stop? | Navarette v. California Can police stop a vehicle based solely on an anonymous 911 call? That question went all the way to the United States Supreme Court in Navarette v. California, one of the most important cases for patrol officers dealing with traffic stops, reckless driver calls, and anonymous tips. In Episode 1 of the Cuffs and Case Law...