Legal Question in Criminal Law in Massachusetts

: Search and seizure

You can always refuse to permit a police request to search the car.

Whether the cop can then search part of the car depends on the facts.

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Re: Search and seizure

A person can certainly refuse consent to a search. In order for the police to lawfully search the automobile, they need either consent, probable cause, a search warrant or the existence of other exceptions to obtaining a search warrant. If none of these things were there, then any fruit of the search can possibly be suppressed. If any items seized by the police are suppressed, they cannot be introduced as evidence at any subsequent trial and the charges relating to said items could possibly be dismissed.