"...they wouldn't be able to randomly search me, correct?..."

Wrong. A "pat down" search for the officers protection is court approved, happens all the time, day or night, any location. If the knife is in your pack (or whatever you use to carry your stuff), you should be OK. If it is on your body, then the type of knife comes in to play. In CA it is illegal to carry a "dirk or dagger" concealed on your body. In some counties, Los Angeles for one (at least in the '70's), the DA's office had decided that any folder with a locking blade was a "dirk or dagger." Lots of Buck 110's got lots of guys into trouble. A multi-tool or SAK, or your old Boy Scout knife, on the other hand, even if it has a locking blade, "probably" would not cause a problem...