If you’re conducting a vehicle search and your K-9 alerts on the glove compartment area, don’t forget that the contraband you’re looking for could be concealed within the airbag compartment or in the heater core — both of which in that same general area. Joe David has been training police officers in drug interdiction techniques since he founded Desert Snow Drug Interdiction Training in 1989. Police1 met some of the folks from Desert Snow at IACP in Denver and spoke with Joe following the event.
“There are several different ways — legally — that officers can search on the vehicle,” David tells Police1, “and there are several things we can do to check the airbags. One of those things is to turn the ignition key to the ‘on’ position and make sure the ‘dummy light’ for the airbag is functional.”
If that indicator light is not lit, and your K-9 has alerted to that area, you just might have found what you’re looking for.
If you’ve got a tip to share with Police1 on drug interdiction techniques, send us an e-mail with your ideas. If you’re interested in connecting Joe David at Desert Snow, check out www.desertsnow.com.
