Source: Des Moines Register (IA) Contact: http://www.dmregister.com/ Copyright: 1998, The Des Moines Register. Pubdate: Sat, 17 Oct 98 Author: Jason Clayworth DRUG STING CALLED ILLEGAL The State Patrol arrested motorists along Interstate 80. A law professor says an Iowa State Patrol sting operation in eastern Iowa that caught 100 people on drug and weapons charges might have been unconstitutional. For the operation, Trooper Robert Smith of the patrol's Cedar Rapids post said, four signs reading "Narcotics Enforcement Ahead" were erected along Interstate 80 near Wilton earlier this week. Smith said plainclothes officers then watched as drivers stopped to dispose of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine in waste cans at a rest area. Others got out of their cars to put guns in the trunk. The operation involved 25 law enforcement officers, three dog units and an airplane monitoring drivers from overhead. Smith said nearly 250 motorists were stopped from Tuesday through Thursday. About 100 of them were arrested. But Jim Tromkovicz, a professor at the University of Iowa, said a judge could rule that the tactic amounts to an illegal search and seizure. "I don't think if (motorists) pulled over at the side of the road, that gives the officers the right to search their car," Tromkovicz said. He acknowledged that a driver who pulled over after seeing the sign might arouse suspicion but said police need more of a reason to make a stop. Smith said the tactic has been used effectively by law enforcement officials in Des Moines and Council Bluffs. Randall Wilson, legal director for the Iowa Civil Liberties Union, said the signs create a situation in which drivers can appear guilty. "It makes a person panic regardless if they're innocent or guilty," he said. - --- Checked-by: Joel W. Johnson