Do I have to consent to a search?
No. Consent means voluntary agreement, and an officer asking for permission is asking precisely because he may lack another basis to search.
Declining is not a crime, not evidence of guilt, and not obstruction. It's the exercise of a right that exists specifically to be exercised.
How to do it: say it clearly and once. *I do not consent to a search.* No explanation is required, and explanations tend to create facts. Then stop talking about it.
Two things worth knowing. Officers frequently phrase requests as statements — *I'm going to take a look in the car* — which is not the same as asking, and which does not become consent because nobody objected. And consent, once given, can generally be limited or withdrawn, though the withdrawal has to be clear.
If a search happens anyway, that's not the moment to physically resist. It's a moment to note what was said and by whom.
Say it once, clearly, and stop. That's the whole technique. ---
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