Search Refusal in Osage County, Missouri

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I was stopped for speeding in Linn, Missouri which is located in Osage County (twenty minutes away from the state capitol in Jefferson City). There were two officers present. Officer Nolting was the one writing the citations. In the red shirt was Sheriff Dixon. Once I was stopped, I could tell Dixon was just looking for something. He kept asking if I had anything illegal. I told him no. He had no reasonable suspicion except for the fact that I am 19 years old and that makes me a suspect. He was being persistent and was determined I had something illegal. I told him I did not. At this point, I told him I was going to grab my phone and record the encounter. He said to do as I please. Once I was recording, the attitudes of the officers changed. They became a lot less intimidating.

You can’t see in the video that when the dog was making laps around my car, I made sure officer Dixon knew I was watching the K9 handler (Officer Wolfe) closely. Always watch them closely; let them know you’re not oblivious and that you are looking for the officer to cue the dog. Osage County has a bit of a history of illegal searches and cuing the dogs. Notice that before Officer Wolfe began the sniff, Dixon told Wolfe I was recording. Hmmm…I wonder why that makes a difference.

Stay calm. Be polite. Say no. Be aware.

Brett Arnold