PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In a pair of cases involving routine traffic stops, the Oregon Supreme Court has ruled that prosecutors must prove the reliability of a drug detection dog when a police officer relies on the dog to conduct a search without a warrant.
The court ruled Thursday that several factors must be weighed to determine reliability, including training and certification.
In one case, the court upheld the Yamhill County conviction of a man arrested after a dog led officers to a pipe with methamphetamine residue inside a car. In the companion case, the court ruled the dog was not proven to be reliable and overturned an Umatilla County trial court.
The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the use of drug-sniffing dogs during routine traffic stops in a ruling in 2005.
