Can an officer search the entire passenger compartment of an automobile incident to an arrest?
A. Not always, in Kansas. K.S.A. 22-2501 limits an officer to search for evidence of “the” crime, not evidence of “a” crime. Arrest on a traffic warrant will not allow search of the entire car incident to arrest in the absence of facts and circumstances justifying a search based on officer safety, to prevent escape, or evidence of “the” crime. State v. Anderson, 259 Kan. 16, 24, 910 P.2d 180 (1996).
