LANCASTER — Pennsylvania’s highest court says police don’t necessarily need a warrant to search a vehicle, but can do it based on reasonable probable cause.

The Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era reported Wednesday that the case involved a 2010 vehicle stop in Philadelphia that produced two pounds of marijuana. The decision aligns Pennsylvania with existing federal standards.

A police chief tells the newspaper the decision helps law enforcement in drug investigations, but defense attorneys are calling it an expansion of government power and a possible step toward the elimination of personal privacy and freedom.

In a dissent, Justice Debra Todd says the decision “contravenes over 225 years of unyielding protection against unreasonable search and seizure.” She calls the change “diametrically contrary to ... legal traditions.”