Considering changing traffic stop laws

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A Hennepin County judge is considering whether to require police to offer a clear reason for searching a motorist during a routine traffic stop. Currently, a police officer can ask for consent to search whether or not they suspect another crime. Assistant public defender James Kamin (CAME-in) asked for such a requirement saying that if officers can't articulate why they searched a motorist, the evidence should be thrown out of court. He says this standard could potentially cut down on racial profiling. If the judge accepts Kamin's reasoning, Minnesota would be the first state in the nation to set such a standard. Dean Edward Butterfoss, a constitutional and criminal law professor at Hamline University says a clear reason would have to meet specific guidelines.

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