In People v. Dunn, 77 N.Y.2d 19, the police conducted a canine "sniff"in the hallway of defendant's apartment building to determine whether illegal drugs were present in the apartment. We held that the "sniff" constituted a search under the facts of that case because "the police were able to obtain information regarding the contents of a place that has traditionally been accorded a heightened expectation of privacy" ( id., at 25). The Court ultimately concluded that a canine "sniff" search like that in Dunn was permissible, despite the absence of a warrant or probable cause, provided it was supported by reasonable suspicion that contraband was contained in the apartment.