I don’t think it is quite obvious whether you can charge someone with an illegal weapon you found. If the search is illegal, I’d say the officer must answer for it. The officer, not the suspect with the illegal weapon, must go to prison. I too can probably find at least one person with something illegal if I stop everyone and search them for no reason.

Worse, I’ve heard people ask if the police has a search warrant before allowing them to search their cars on a traffic stop be subjected to many hours of being stopped by the side of a highway followed by a K-9 unit which scratches the whole car based on where the handler taps on the car.

The officer doesn’t care because they get paid for the whole time they are there. What about the car driver and other occupants though? What if you are on your way to work and fired because you are late because the police stopped you? Why don’t I deserve to get paid for my wasted time?

Everyone agrees with that. What we don't agree about is what is an acceptable way for police to "find" a perpetrator within their right under the constitution.