Hey, I read the article, and I'm kind of confused...how did we get from buying some equipment to using it on motorists during minor traffic stops? Did I miss something in the article? Seriously, point it out if I did miss something, because from what I just read, the author assumes that because it can be used on a motorist stopped for a traffic offense, that's what it's for. Using the same logic, my local PD just bought a pair of new suppressed MP-5's to shoot children on the playground who bully other children.
On a serious note, the Supreme Court has ruled that if an officer expands a traffic stop beyond the offense, the officer must have a reasonable, articulable suspicion of criminal activit (Terry vs. Ohio standard), of the officer must inform the motorist he/she is free to go, and then request consent to expand the stop. best response I've ever seen to such a request is "I'd love to cooperate with you, officer, but I'm on a schedule, and the traffic stop kind of threw that off a bit, so I can't afford to be here any longer."
Personally, if you wanna hook up my smartphone, I'm requesting to see the warrant. Yes, I may end up in cuffs, but that's what I'm gonna do.