This is my first post. Hi everyone!
From a legal perspective, how are the civil rights of non-military (US) citizens affected when they are on a military base? That's probably a rather generic question, but I'm not a lawyer, and I'm curious about the relationship between military policy and normal civil rights when a non-military person is on a military base. Do we implicitly give up any of our rights by choosing to work on a military base?
Background: I am not in the military, and I never have been. But recently I started working for a Federal contractor which has an office on a US Army fort in the State of Alaska. When I'm on-post, I feel a little uncertain about some of the rights I feel more certain about elsewhere. Some specific examples:
1. Fifth amendment: If Military Police come into our area, and start taking statements regarding some issue that happened in the vicinity, do I have to answer any of their questions? (This does happen.)
2. Search and seizure: My coworkers say they can search my vehicle whenever they want without a warrant. Is that true? What gives them the legal right to do that? Can they search my person or my other property as well without a warrant?
I'm not bringing this subject up because I don't like the military or because I want to start trouble. But civil rights has been an important subject to me, and I like to always know where I stand in any given circumstance, so I can be better prepared to exercises my rights if I need to do so.
From a legal perspective, how are the civil rights of non-military (US) citizens affected when they are on a military base? That's probably a rather generic question, but I'm not a lawyer, and I'm curious about the relationship between military policy and normal civil rights when a non-military person is on a military base. Do we implicitly give up any of our rights by choosing to work on a military base?
Background: I am not in the military, and I never have been. But recently I started working for a Federal contractor which has an office on a US Army fort in the State of Alaska. When I'm on-post, I feel a little uncertain about some of the rights I feel more certain about elsewhere. Some specific examples:
1. Fifth amendment: If Military Police come into our area, and start taking statements regarding some issue that happened in the vicinity, do I have to answer any of their questions? (This does happen.)
2. Search and seizure: My coworkers say they can search my vehicle whenever they want without a warrant. Is that true? What gives them the legal right to do that? Can they search my person or my other property as well without a warrant?
I'm not bringing this subject up because I don't like the military or because I want to start trouble. But civil rights has been an important subject to me, and I like to always know where I stand in any given circumstance, so I can be better prepared to exercises my rights if I need to do so.
