Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog
Police K‑9 Delays and Your Rights During Chicago Traffic Stops
If you were pulled over in Chicago and the officer kept you waiting on the roadside while calling in a drug-sniffing dog, you probably asked yourself the same question many of my clients ask me: “Can they really hold me this long without charging me?” As a Chicago criminal defense lawyer who has fought hundreds of traffic stop cases, I can tell you this: if police held you longer than necessary without clear legal justification, they may have violated your constitutional rights.
Dog sniffs during traffic stops have become a common tactic used by police to escalate minor infractions into felony charges. Whether you were stopped in Garfield Ridge, Lincoln Park, or on I-90 near the city limits, the basic facts of the case often look the same: the officer approaches your vehicle, says it’s a routine traffic stop, checks your license, then calls in a K‑9 unit and keeps you waiting—hoping for a positive dog alert to justify a search.
