The People, Plaintiff and Respondent v. Douglas George Schmitz, Defendant and Appellant

Summary

The court held that a warrantless search of a vehicle's passenger compartment may be justified by a passenger's known parole status, even when the vehicle belongs to a nonparolee. The search may reach areas where the officer reasonably expects the parolee could have placed or discarded items, and may include personal property the officer reasonably believes the parolee owns or can control. Applying that rule, the court upheld the search of the backseat, chips bag, and shoes, and reversed the Court of Appeal.