Know Your Rights: REVIEW QUIZ

Published May 8, 2007
2 Comments (at bottom of article)

By Nicole Vincent-Roller

Everyone else is testing you—why not us? Sure, the grades you receive for the exams you should be studying for right now will be on your permanent school record, but any crime you get charged with for not knowing your rights will be on your permanent criminal record. So give it a shot, and we’ll give you a break most of your professors won’t— true/false, anyone?

1. If you’ve gotten pulled over, and the cop asks you to get out of your and perform some sobriety tests, you can refuse to do them without incurring any penalty.

Answer: True. Roadside sobriety tests are entirely voluntary, so if you want to step out of your auto and shake your bon-bon for fun, feel free. Otherwise, just smile, say “No, thanks,” and enjoy the stunned look on the cop’s face.

2. Even if you’ve got a little buzz going it’s legal for you to drive as long as your blood alcohol level is under .08.

Answer: False. The statute states that it is legal for a person of-age to operate a motor vehicle up to a blood alcohol level of .08 or until that person is in any way affected. So if you tell a police officer that you’re really only lightly toasted, you’ll get burned- you’ve admitted wrongdoing and can be prosecuted for DUI.

3. Getting caught in possession of marijuana doesn’t always result in a buzzkill felony possession charge.

Answer: True. If you are caught with fewer than two ounces, the charge is simple possession, punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a $500 fine.

4. If you get caught growing pot, as long as the plants are too young to have any THC content it isn’t criminal.

Answer: False. If you are caught cultivating more than three plants (but fewer than ten), no matter how pathetically, depressingly small they are, you will be charged with felony possession, punishable by a maximum of three years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000.

5. If you are a card-carrying member of Temple 420, none of this matters because your stash is protected by your right to religious freedom.

Answer: False. Sadly, the Temple’s claims that it is legal for its members to enjoy the “sacrament” won’t protect you from the police. Worship discretely.

6. After three citations, your license number will be sent over to the campus police, and the offense becomes criminal.

Answer: False. After three citations your number will be sent over the campus police, but only so that the Transportation and Parking services people can find out if the car is registered to a UVM affiliate- and if it is, you can bet those charges will end up on your student account.

7. Even if you repeatedly park your car in UVM’s parking lots without a permit and get caught doing it, you won’t get towed.

Answer: True- to a point. The nice people over at Transportation and Parking Services don’t get any kicks out of towing you, so they’ll wait until you’ve established yourself as a repeat (think five-or-so citations) offender to take drastic measures.

8. The Fourth Amendment protects your person from unlawful search and seizure, so it’s safer to keep contraband on your body than in your car.

Answer: Half-true, half-false. The Fourth Amendment does protect you from unlawful search and seizure, but there are all kinds of searches that are perfectly lawful and regularly performed.

Now that you’ve brushed up on your legalese, go out and pass the test of life by asserting your rights (while you should be studying for exams).

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