Q: Can police detain and search without reasonable suspicion in Georgia?

A: Under Georgia law and the Fourth Amendment, police generally need reasonable suspicion that you've committed, are committing, or are about to commit a crime before detaining you. However, the "community caretaking" exception might apply in your case since officers responded to a report of a possible overdose, which presents an emergency situation where they're checking on your welfare rather than investigating a crime.

When police are performing a welfare check, they can legally open doors and briefly detain someone to ensure their safety. The subsequent search of your vehicle is more legally questionable - without your consent, police typically need probable cause to believe evidence of a crime exists before searching. The mere presence of you sleeping in a vehicle doesn't automatically create probable cause for a full search, even with your prior felony conviction.

You might have grounds to challenge both the detention and the search through a motion to suppress evidence, arguing that police lacked reasonable suspicion or probable cause. Since your charges were dropped, this might suggest the prosecutor recognized potential issues with how evidence was obtained. Consider consulting with a criminal defense attorney who can review the specific details of your case and advise on whether your Fourth Amendment rights were violated and if you have any potential civil claims related to the detention.