Without putting too fine a point on this, I feel compelled to add: A car is not a public place, but generally, to the extent its interior is visible, it is a place open to public view. Of course, conduct considered by the state to be a crime has to actually be viewed.
Further, in large part because of their mobility and use of public roadways, cars enjoy substantially less consitutional protection than homes. Searches on no more than a hunch are all too common.
Law enforcement can usually find (or manufacture) "reasonable suspicion" to further investigate what is going on in an autpmobile. This can be as little as a car being parked in a cruisy area.
Hope this clarifies the issue a bit more.
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