Author Archives: steve

In Illinois v. Caballes, the Supreme Court ruled that police do not need reasonable suspicion to use drug dogs to sniff a vehicle during a legitimate traffic stop. This decision stems from the case of Roy Caballes, who was pulled over for speeding and subsequently arrested for marijuana trafficking after a drug dog was brought […]

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Legendary journalist, Cato Instutute Scholar, Flex Your Rights Beautiful Testimonial Writer, and all-around Badass of Freedom Nat Hentoff was selected among "the 100 Outstanding Journalists in the United States in the Last 100 Years."

That reminds me: I need to send him a new 10 Rules for Dealing with Police DVD. I’m not sure if he’s got a working player yet, but he’ll certainly appreciate it.

I’m not saying that blindly. Mr. Hentoff’s an analog kinda guy. He’s so analog that when I sent him a pre-release review DVD, he didn’t watch it. Instead, he requested a copy of the screenplay — via snail mail! 

So if you ever see this, Mr. Hentoff, Mazel tov!

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Check out episode 3 of our new YouTube series How to Deal with Cops. Flex Your Rights Associate Director Scott Morgan discusses his latest article "5 Reasons You Should Never Agree to a Police Search (Even if You Have Nothing to Hide)." 

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Flex Your Rights Associate Director and 10 Rules for Dealing with Police co-creator Scott Morgan has an important article in The Huffington Post.

Do you know what your rights are when a police officer asks to search you? If you’re like most people I’ve met in my eight years working to educate the public on this topic, then you probably don’t.

It’s a subject that a lot of people think they understand, but too often our perception of police power is distorted by fictional TV dramas, sensational media stories, silly urban myths, and the unfortunate fact that police themselves are legally allowed to lie to us.

Read and share full article here.

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Thanks to you, the Flex Your Rights YouTube channel has reached an astonishing 16 million views and 35 thousand subscribers!

If you’re not yet subscribed to our YouTube channel, please do it now. Whenever we upload a new video, you’ll be one of the first to see it. And by subscribing you can "like" our videos and submit your questions in the comments. (Doing these things helps attract more viewers too.)

You’ll see that we created a new “How to Deal with Cops” video log (vlog). This is for all of you who want to become more intelligent know-your-rights advocates. Here Scott Morgan and I will address current events and discuss topics not fully covered in our full-length videos, BUSTED: The Citizen’s Guide to Surviving Police Encounters or 10 Rules for Dealing with Police.

Also, if you already "like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, you may have seen our new "How to Flex Your Rights at Protests" article. (This is also the topic of our newest vlog episode.)

So whether you like Facebook, Twitter, or good old-fashioned email — please watch and share our stuff with all your friends.

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Whether you like to Occupy, Tea Party, or Bikini Flash Mob — the First Amendment protects your right to peacefully protest.

Courts have tended to support a strong and vibrant First Amendment. Its protections are far-reaching and give you great freedom to express your views loudly and publicly.

But before you make your voice heard, you want to be prepared in case your peaceful protest turns confrontational.

View this article.

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A controversial police raid of the popular Capitol Hemp stores in Washington, D.C. has become more interesting with the release of the affidavit filed by an undercover officer seeking a judge’s approval to search the premises for evidence of drug paraphernalia distribution. Police allege that water pipes and other tobacco accessories sold at the stores were intended for illegal use, and their evidence includes the fact that Capitol Hemp sold Flex Your Rights DVDs!

Check out this section from the search warrant affidavit, available in full at DCist:

4. While your Affiant was looking at the smoking devices U/C [redacted] observed a DVD that was for sale entitled "10 Rules for Dealing with Police". The DVD gave the following listed topics that were covered as:

     A. Deal with traffic stops, street stops and police at your door.

     B. Know your rights and maintain your cool, and;

     C. Avoid common police tricks and prevent humiliating searches.

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