> any prior suspicion of wrongdoing

That's still an incredibly low bar: the DEA agent may "smell marijuana on the person" or get a "hit" from a K9

This has always felt incredibly thin to me and shouldn’t in my opinion constitute probable cause. It’s essentially a dousing rod with four legs.

"Dousing rod" is a nearly perfect description except it doesn't quite convey the deliberate violation of civil liberties.

	▲	ch4s3 7 months ago \| parent [-]
		That’s precisely what I mean. Each tool here reflects the will of the person wielding the tool while providing a pretense that some other force is at play.

immibis 7 months ago | parent | prev [-]

why not say canine?

	▲	sangnoir 7 months ago \| parent \| next [-]
		The same reason I said "DEA agent" and not "an adult of working age" - the specificity of the role matters. I used a metonym for the animal as the police departments that work with dogs are called "K9 units"
	▲	shiroiushi 7 months ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		A "canine" is any kind of dog. A "K9" is a very specific type of dog used in US law enforcement, specially trained to act as if it smelled something when it sees a special signal from its handler.