I was at a park an saw a park ranger drive up and started to look threw peoples duffel bags that were playing ball for no reason at all.He's lucky it wasn't mine I would of not let him.Maybe because they were Mexican??? Park ranger didn't find anything and drove off ...
Vinny
Favorite Answer
In order for any officer to search he must have probable cause or permission or he could do a quick search that just keeps him safe during an interview with a subject (quick pat down of outer clothing). Without any of these he is overstepping his boundaries and his authority. If he is a game warden then he still needs probable cause; just not as much. A game warden can search with either probable cause or a good hunch. A search warrant also gives the officer permission to search, but that would not be granted without probable cause. If a drug-dog were to indicate the possibility of drugs then that would give an officer probable cause as well. If an officer performed an unlawful stop and then began a search that produced evidence of a crime then that evidence would be inadmissible. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Educated
NO. Only if they see something suspicious (like a weapon or drugs) visible and then have probable cause to search their stuff. OR if they ASK to search and the people say yes then they can search. Anything that officer found would then be from an illegal search and a good lawyer would get it thrown out of court and the people would have to be released and not charged with anything.
Don't say Mexican unless you know for sure the people you saw come from MEXICO. Saying Mexican is not a politically correct term. What you should refer to people as is Hispanic or if they are from Spain they would prefer SPANISH. But on the safe side just say hispanic.
Otto Maddox
I can't tell from your question if the bags were unattended or if the people who they belonged to were there.
If a police officer find a bag he'd be allowed to look in it to at least see if he could identify an owner.
Now if the bags are in the possesion of the owner, then the police officer needs legal cause to search it. Either probably cause, a warrant, or incident to arrest.
You are right though. You should never consent to a search no matter who is asking. It can never help you to consent.
Neutral
If its an official park ranger then yes. They are real cops. Actual federal. If he has probable cause which could be anything he can search