Aldo the German shepherd and his human companions in law enforcement won an important Supreme Court appeal on Tuesday over vehicle searches for drugs and contraband . The justices found that a positive `` hit '' from the sniff of a well trained police dog could establish probable cause for the search of a vehicle . `` The question -- similar to every inquiry intro probable cause -- is whether all the facts surrounding a dog 's alert , viewed through the lens of common sense , would make a reasonably prudent person think that a search would reveal contraband or evidence of a crime , '' said Justice Elena Kagan . `` And here , Aldo 's did . '' This case and a separate and still pending appeal over police intrusions into homes and cars could have a far-reaching impact on when a person 's private contents can be subjected to a search without clear probable cause or a valid warrant . Dogs at center of police search arguments . The Constitution 's Fourth Amendment grants the `` right of the people to be secure in their persons , houses , papers , and effects , against unreasonable searches and seizures . '' The issue of citizen privacy has been particularly acute since the 2001 al Qaeda attacks on the United States . Federal and state governments have stepped up surveillance of suspected terrorists and their allies and high-risk targets , like government buildings and shopping malls . The case decided by the Supreme Court on Tuesday involved Clayton Harris , who was stopped by a sheriff 's deputy in Liberty County outside Tallahassee in 2006 for an expired license tag . The officer brought in a German shepherd police dog , Aldo , who focused on the truck 's door handle . A subsequent search produced pills in the vehicle that are used to make methamphetamine . Harris was charged and later pleaded no contest , but the state high court later reversed the conviction . Those justices found the dog unreliable . A few weeks after the initial search , Harris was stopped and the dog again alerted the door handle for the presence of drugs . This time , none were found . The Florida high court concluded that the state 's general assertion a dog was sufficiently `` trained '' and `` certified '' was not enough alone to establish probable cause justifying vehicle searches . But the U.S. Supreme Court disagreed , saying Aldo 's training records established that he was reliable in detecting drugs and that Harris `` failed to undermine that showing . '' The Supreme Court has in recent years generally given law enforcement some latitude to conduct its in a heightened security environment , but not without some checks . The current cases also come as recent studies have raised questions about the accuracy of canine drug alerts . Florida state officials applauded the opinion . `` This victory is paramount to preserving our law enforcement officers ' ability to use police dog alerts to locate illegal drugs and arrest those who possess them , '' said Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi . `` The Supreme Court correctly held that a police dog 's reliability is determined through a common-sense evaluation of the relevant circumstances , rather than through a rigid set of judge-created requirements , '' Bondi said . The case is : Florida v. Harris ( 11-817 ) .
Court says alerts from trained dogs can trigger probable cause for search of car . This case and another could have far-reaching impact on search questions . Comment: