Gun in Vehicle question

[Tim-g19]

Does a Company have a right to enter your Locked vehicle on its parking lot?
and then what about locked things inside your vehicle?

I just assumed my car was mine and they couldn't.

Can a private company do that? or would they call Law Enforcement?
and what if a Private company did enter my vehicle w/o asking or myself present?

[melensdad]

Depends. Employers have rights, including rights in their parking areas.

[rkba_net]

They do not have the right to search a vehicle... on the other hand Indiana is a Right to Work State... so an employer can fire you for ANY reason... other than those protected by FEDERAL LAW...

[melensdad]

Originally Posted by rkba_net

They do not have the right to search a vehicle

Uh, can you cite the code that prevents an employer from reserving that right in its work rules? Unless the laws have changed, there was nothing to prevent me from requiring that employees cars could not be searched. In fact we had it in our work rules stating we could search their cars if they were parked on the company property.

[Scutter01]

Originally Posted by melensdad

Uh, can you cite the code that prevents an employer from reserving that right in its work rules? Unless the laws have changed, there was nothing to prevent me from requiring that employees cars could not be searched. In fact we had it in our work rules stating we could search their cars if they were parked on the company property.

I have no idea, so I'm not stating an opinion, merely asking for information: Just because it's in the work rules doesn't necessarily give them the right. I mean, one rule could be "All employees must submit to sexual assault once per week" but that doesn't make it legal, right? OTOH, if you agreed to it as a condition of employment, does that waive your right to not be assaulted?

[Tim-g19]

I was only asking cause someone saw my spare magazines in my truck, I know them but not real well, "No gun inside BTW". But was wondering if someones stupidity was enough for them to break into my truck. If they asked me before I would say yes, the job pays for my Guns and toys, but I would want to unlock it myself and watch them in my truck is all.

[rhino]

The only way an employer could legally search your vehicle is if you signed a contract or employment agreement that gave them permission to do so, or you gave them permission when they asked. They could obviously fire or otherwise penalize you if they wanted to search your vehicle and you refused.

[Feign]

Employer or not, no one will ever search my car for any reason. If I refuse and they decide to let me go since Indiana is At Will, so be it. If it's an officer, I'll still refrain.

[melensdad]

Originally Posted by rhino

The only way an employer could legally search your vehicle is if you signed a contract or employment agreement that gave them permission to do so, or you gave them permission when they asked. They could obviously fire or otherwise penalize you if they wanted to search your vehicle and you refused.

In some states, and Indiana used to be one of them and I presume it is still one of them, the property owner, which in the proposed scenario is the employer, has the right to forbid guns, to perform security checks in the parking lots, to search purses and bags, etc. The employer can perform random searches, random drug tests, search your lunchbox, even perform literacy tests.

Originally Posted by Feign

Employer or not, no one will ever search my car for any reason. If I refuse and they decide to let me go since Indiana is At Will, so be it. If it's an officer, I'll still refrain.

Yes, you can refuse. That would, under many workplace rules, be considered an automatic quit rather than a termination. Obviously it would depend on how well written the workplace rules were, but being fired for disobeying a legal rule is better than quitting and in the case of the company I sold, as well as most I know with formal rules, you would have quit and therefore be unable to collect unemployment benefits.

[hunter480]

Originally Posted by melensdad

In some states, and Indiana used to be one of them and I presume it is still one of them, the property owner, which in the proposed scenario is the employer, has the right to forbid guns, to perform security checks in the parking lots, to search purses and bags, etc. The employer can perform random searches, random drug tests, search your lunchbox, even perform literacy tests.


Yes, you can refuse. That would, under many workplace rules, be considered an automatic quit rather than a termination. Obviously it would depend on how well written the workplace rules were, but being fired for disobeying a legal rule is better than quitting and in the case of the company I sold, as well as most I know with formal rules, you would have quit and therefore be unable to collect unemployment benefits.

What he said-at Lilly, we have a no gun in vehicle policy. My understanding is, I could refuse for my locked vehicle to be searched, but that would be the same as insubordination, which is by the way, a firing offense.