[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/when-drug-dogs-may-be-called-to-a-traffic-stop\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/when-drug-dogs-may-be-called-to-a-traffic-stop\/","headline":"When Drug Dogs May Be Called to a Traffic Stop","name":"When Drug Dogs May Be Called to a Traffic Stop","description":"Police dogs, or K9 units, are sometimes called in to help police officers investigate drivers detained during traffic stops in New Jersey. These dogs are most famously trained to identify narcotics stored in a vehicle or in luggage and are sometimes referred to as \u201cdrug dogs.\u201d The following is a brief look at when and […]","datePublished":"2019-04-17","dateModified":"2025-12-09","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/author\/newjerseycriminallawfirm\/#Person","name":"William Proetta Criminal Law","url":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/author\/newjerseycriminallawfirm\/","identifier":12,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf046e483cfd218aa23b814afd7f502ea8e6bd244632161b6e42395a76e91a8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf046e483cfd218aa23b814afd7f502ea8e6bd244632161b6e42395a76e91a8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"William Proetta Criminal Law","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/william-proetta-criminal-law-logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/william-proetta-criminal-law-logo.png","width":250,"height":76}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/drug-sniffing-dogs.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/drug-sniffing-dogs.jpg","height":672,"width":1000},"url":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/when-drug-dogs-may-be-called-to-a-traffic-stop\/","about":["Drug Crimes"],"wordCount":654,"articleBody":"Police dogs, or K9 units, are sometimes called in to help police officers investigate drivers detained during traffic stops in New Jersey. These dogs are most famously trained to identify narcotics stored in a vehicle or in luggage and are sometimes referred to as \u201cdrug dogs.\u201d The following is a brief look at when and why police may call in dogs to a traffic stop and common\u00a0drug charges\u00a0that arise after drug sniffing dogs are called to investigate. If you need assistance with a case involving\u00a0cocaine,\u00a0heroin,\u00a0marijuana, or\u00a0prescription drugs\u00a0in Union County, contact our local criminal defense firm in Cranford, NJ at\u00a0(908) 838-0150 to speak with a lawyer free of charge.Dog Searches in Union County Drug CasesPolice agencies in New Jersey and throughout the United States often employ specially-trained\u00a0K9 units, or police dogs, to sweep and sniff cars or luggage for narcotics, explosives, weapons, and other items of interest to the police that they have trained the dogs to identify. If the dogs detect any of these items, they will \u201calert\u201d their handling officer by performing some kind of movement. K9-assisted arrests typically involve narcotics, given that narcotics offenses are more common than gun-running or terrorism and associated explosives.When Can Police Call the K9 Unit to Search My Car?Police officers must have \u201creasonable suspicion\u201d to detain a motorist for a\u00a0traffic stop. This means that a police officer must have specific, articulable facts supporting their decision to conduct a brief detention to investigate potential criminal activity. Officers may not initiate a traffic stop based on a hunch or a whim; they must be able to identify specific facts supporting the stop. Typically, officers will conduct a traffic stop if they observe a violation of the New Jersey motor vehicle code. A traffic stop must not be unreasonably prolonged.Following related decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, the New Jersey Supreme Court in\u00a0State v. Dunbar\u00a0determined that a drug dog may sniff around a vehicle at a traffic stop provided that the officers had reasonable suspicion to pull the car over in the first place. The officers do not need to establish further reasonable suspicion of narcotics activity for the dog to sniff the car. So long as the use of the drug dog did not unreasonably prolong the traffic stop, the New Jersey Supreme Court concluded that the police could use the dog.Courts have indicated that a traffic stop generally encompasses an officer checking driver\u2019s license information, proof of insurance, registration, and potentially checking for\u00a0outstanding bench warrants. Waiting for additional officers to arrive so that a K9 sweep can be conducted it outside the ordinary course of a traffic stop and may unreasonably prolong the motorist\u2019s detention. That said, if a K9 officer happens to pull over a vehicle and the drug dog alerts the officer to the presence of narcotics during that regular traffic stop, the New Jersey Supreme Court has indicated that the K9\u2019s sweep does not require additional reasonable suspicion to detain the driver. But if the dog sniff did unreasonably prolong the traffic stop, the officers would need to establish further reasonable suspicion, beyond the initial reason for the stop, to justify prolonging the driver\u2019s detention so that the dog could sweep the car.Arrested for Drugs at a Traffic Stop in Mountainside, NJIf you are facing criminal charges for having drugs in your vehicle, you are undoubtedly facing severe consequences. To avoid these repercussions and position yourself for the most favorable outcome, you need a skilled attorney who can vet all of your options and diligently pursue the best one. Our Union County drug defense lawyers have been serving clients in Mountainside, Elizabeth, Cranford, Scotch Plains, Plainfield, Summit, and Union County for nearly a decade. Call us at\u00a0(908) 838-0150 for more information about how we can help fight your case."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"When Drug Dogs May Be Called to a Traffic Stop","item":"https:\/\/www.newjerseycriminallawfirm.com\/blog\/when-drug-dogs-may-be-called-to-a-traffic-stop\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]