The Winston-Salem Journal weighs in on the city’s new graffiti ordinance cracking down on minors possessing spray paint. Note the logic:

Councilman Derwin Montgomery voted for the new law, but worried that it could lead police to illegally search minors for spray paint, the Journal’s Laura Graff reported. But police Chief Scott Cunningham said that officers would be trained on the ordinance and not execute searches unless there was evidence that a youth had recently painted graffiti. For example, if police catch a teenager near freshly painted graffiti with spray paint on his hands and jeans, that would be a fair reason for search.

I’m wondering what would happen if said “teenager near freshly painted graffiti with spray paint on his hands and jeans” is not found to be in possession of spray paint? The editorial doesn’t answer that question.