Hi, I am moving into my dorm room very soon and I bought a large safe that I was planning on using to store not only money and valuables but some of my supplies and gear as well . I figured it is a good place since the regular RA's cannot search you're room other than common area's but they can't search it like the police. I don't plan to smoke in my room other than vaping, however in the hypothetical situation that the cops did come to my room to search... Could they make me open up the safe without a warrant? Or if I refused would they simply just call over a locksmith and get it open without my consent? Just wondering what the law is on safe's, etc. Thanks.
In real life they'd need a warrant to search your place, unless of course they saw you committing a crime right then and there or there was a ton of weed smoke coming out from under your door. In a dorm situation, I dunno man. It seems like a hell of a risk. College is expensive as fuck, and getting caught w/ weed, in the dorms might have a big impact on your education, and thus your future. You should rent an apartment or a small house w/ a couple of friends so that you don't have people trying to search your shit all the time.
They can't even come into your room without a warrant, let alone search your belongings. If you pay to live there then they can't even come in without your consent/a warrant. But if they do have one then they have every right. Edit: this is to my knowledge though, I'm not sure at all. I could be completely off for all I know. Double Edit: I actually change my mind (whooops) I think they can do whatever the fuck they want because you aren't living on your own property.
They need a warrant to search personal belongings. Last year the cops actually searched my friends room but he had put everything in his lock box before, and they were unable to search that without a warrant.
Right, I appreciate the concerns. I know what you mean about messing up my education and that's the last thing I would want to do over the herb. The car thing is something I have thought of, especially since I know my car pretty extensively and know how to easily take apart the center console to store pretty much anything I want without the cops ever knowing it's in there. However, the dorms never call the cops for drinking, but the RA's don't deal with weed they call the cops. Truthfully, there is no reason for the cops to ever be called because I am not gonna be smoking in the dorm but mostly my fear is if someone retarded smokes up the dorm floor cops are called and could potentially search my room. Who know's, I think the car idea is the deal. I forgot to mention in the city of Columbia, up to a oz is decriminalized.
It all depends on the college. Like in highschool, how you forfeit most of your rights when you set foot on their property. In the rules your parents agreed to when they signed you up for that school, it states in most cases that your vehicle, as well as locker, and person are able to be searched without a warrant. Same goes for most colleges.