Is the Outside of Your Car Fair Game for Canine Cops? High Court Says Yes

The Wyoming Supreme Court this week ruled that dogs trained to detect drugs can sniff a vehicle’s exterior without probable cause.

The opinion by Chief Justice Kate M. Fox, released Wednesday, upholds a district court’s decision to deny the separate motions to suppress evidence by two defendants charged with multiple drug-related counts. Maria Anne Joseph and Jackson Elliot Tarzia argued that the canine sniffs of their vehicles’ exteriors took place without probable cause, and therefore, violated the Wyoming Constitution.