Pa seeks to pass law against "illegal" secret compartments in cars.

One of the latest fads in law enforcement is charge stacking in which they throw the book at anyone caught doing something the government disapporves of in order to ensure the maximum fines and jailtime for when they obtain a conviction. This also comes in handy when extorting a plea bargain out of some hapless defendant.

The latest attempt to add to this phenomenon is occuring right in my home state of Pa where they are trying to make it an additional crime to have a secret compartment in your car and use it for the comission of a crime.

House Passes Bill On ‘Secret Compartments’ In Cars

The state House has passed a bill that would outlaw “secret” compartments in vehicles that are used in criminal activity.

The bill would make it a crime to have a “false or secret” compartment in a vehicle with the intent to use the compartment criminally. A false or secret compartment is defined as an enclosure integrated into a vehicle that represents a modification of the vehicle as originally built by the manufacturer.

But opponents argued, among other things, that the bill could open the door to unreasonable searches by law enforcement. The bill now goes to the Senate.

CBS Philly

It seems to me that this law is outlawing the compartments solely for the reason that they make the poor wittle police officer's jobs more diifficult. Next, they'll want all criminals to register with the gubment and submit their plans for criminal activities a week in advance or face additional charges if they get caught.

It reminds me of another Pa law; Possessing instruments of crime

"Instrument of crime." Any of the following:
(1) Anything specially made or specially adapted for
criminal use.
(2) Anything used for criminal purposes and possessed by
the actor under circumstances not manifestly appropriate for
lawful uses it may have.

Under that statute, anything you have on you when arrested for something in Pa could result in this charge being brought. Wearing dark pants? Another charge. Carrying a pocket knife? Yet another charge until they have hundreds stacked against you and you are facing decades in jail for comitting even the smallest of crimes.

I don't see why its not good enough to charge a person with the crime they were caught for without having to dump on all sorts of aditional, unnecessary, trumped up charges? Its all about making money for the gubment, incarcreating as many folks as possible to get them in the system and take away their rights to vote or own weapons.


This also opens the door to intrusive police searches of vehicles and gives the police the opening to ask if there are any "secret compartments" inside the vehicle they are searching. Never mind the fact that a person may have perfectly legitimate reasons for having one on their vehicle such as if they carry large amounts of cash or want to hide expensive electronics if they go into a bad neighborhood.

You can bet, if you answer in the affermative to the loaded question, they will upgrade their search and dig in every nook and cranny, all the while asking "what do you have to hide, if you weren't guilty of something, you wouldn't need to hide anything", thereby implying that having the compartment is an indicator that you must be a criminal of some type.

It will also give them more "cause" to confiscate whatever they find under civil forfeiture laws under the assumption that it must be involved is some type of criminal activity if you wanted to keep it hidden.

Then, God help you if you say "no" and they find one anyway. They'll probably haul you off for impeding a police investigation or some other such trumped up charge even though they have no proof you ever comitted a crime or intended the compartment for any type of illegal activity.

All because they had to add one more unnecessary law to the books to keep us enslaved. Expect to see this law coming to a state near you.

The bill would make it a crime to have a “false or secret” compartment in a vehicle with the intent to use the compartment criminally. A false or secret compartment is defined as an enclosure integrated into a vehicle that represents a modification of the vehicle as originally built by the manufacturer.

And just how do they determine "intent to use criminally"?

I have a button I push that then opens a not-so-secret compartment, that then comes down, and holds my radar detector and makes it start scanning. Would this be a chargeable offense?

Personally, I'm surprised car manufacturers aren't making so called secret compartments built into newer cars for the sake of keeping electronics and money safe.

That would "stick it to the man" because it wouldn't be a modification made by the owner.

Originally posted by Gazrok
And just how do they determine "intent to use criminally"?

I have a button I push that then opens a not-so-secret compartment, that then comes down, and holds my radar detector and makes it start scanning. Would this be a chargeable offense?

I wouldn't be surprised if they would charge you if they found it.

While radar detectors and jammers are legal in Pa, they would probably argue that they only serve the purpose of enabling the driver to break the law by speeding.

They couldn't charge you for having the detector but concealing it for the purpose of speeding may let them get around that little loophole.

reply to post by FortAnthem


If the cops would stop illegally searching people's car and stealing their money and crap......Then you wouldn't need a secret compartment anymore!

The crooked cops are the ones that make these issues come to light in the first place.

Not saying a drug mule hasn't built some pretty nifty compartments or anything, but seriously!!

You pay for a drivers license
You pay for a car
You pay for the road work and upkeep (oil tax)
You pay for the salary of the cop
You pay, you pay, you pay......And you still can't do what you want!! Kinda pisses me off really.....

reply to post by FortAnthem


Thank goodness I'm not in PA...

Also wonder about their definition of "compartment". I've got all kinds of after-market add-ons to my truck. They'd probably get me for my auxiliary gas tank, saying I could use this to out-range pursuit!

Well anyone who's lived in PA can tell you there's a insane market for drugs there.
Too many druggies

between this and "stop & frisk", TSA, 30,000 drones over the US in a few years, THE ONLY WAY TO PUT THIS CRAP DOWN IS TO CUT THE HEADS OFF THESE FASCISTS!

Originally posted by DoctorMobius
Well anyone who's lived in PA can tell you there's a insane market for drugs there.
Too many druggies

Its not necessarily the druggies in Pa.

Pa is called the "Keystone State" for a reason; it sits smack, right between the Southern states and all of the Northeastern states and New England. Anything that passes from South to North, or vice verce has to pass through Pa.

Pa is a major hub for trucking and any drugs that travel by ground will have to pass through here as well.

reply to post by FortAnthem


Most drugs in that area are coming from NYC and Canada. Though crystal meth is coming in from the south, it isnt sold or bought as much as the recreationals or hallucinogens. Philadelphia though gets cartel stuff.