Preview

Criminal Justice: Warrants, Seizures, And Searches

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3089 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Criminal Justice: Warrants, Seizures, And Searches
Warrants, Seizures, and Searches
Criminal Justice 3100

A very large and debatable part of Criminal Evidence and Procedure that has and can cause many issues is warrants. A warrant is “a written order issued by a judicial officer or other authorized person commanding a law enforcement officer to perform some act incident to the administration of justice” (Warrant 1). The first statement of freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures appeared in The Rights of the Colonists and a List of Infringements and Violations of Rights. The Rights of the Colonists was written in 1772 by Samuel Adams. It consisted of lists of natural rights, rights as Christians, and rights as subjects. The List of Infringements and Violations
…show more content…
This is another exception to needing a warrant. In inadvertence, an officer can be interested in or expect to find a certain item, even if it is not listed in the warrant, and it still be a valid seizure. In plain view cases, police have prior justification for an intrusion in the course of which he inadvertently came across a piece of evidence incriminating the accused. However, a limitation to the plain view rule is that plain view alone is never enough to justify warrantless seizure of evidence. The item 's imcriminating characteristic(s) must be immediately apparent. In Horton v. California, a police sergeant investigating a robbery had a warrant to search petitioner Horton’s home. The warrant issued specified a search for the proceeds of the robbery, specifically, three rings. However, while weapons had been described in the police report, the warrant did not include them. The sergeant entered the petitioner’s home. He did not find the three rings, but he did find weapons in plain view and seized them. The issue was whether the warrantless seizure of evidence of crime in plain view is prohibited by the Fourth Amendment if the discovery of the evidence was …show more content…
This purpose is to protect the officer from weapons and to prevent destruction of evidence. An exception to the is a protective sweep of a home is allowed if officers have reasonable articulable suspicion that the house is harboring a person posing danger to those on the scene. Officers should be able to do whatever will keep them and others safe whether or not it violates someone 's fourth amendment rights. In searches of a car pursuant to a valid arrest, officers can search the passenger compartment of a car and anything inside even when arestee is already in the police car. Police may search inside of a vehicle when the officer has reasonable belief that the car contains evidence of the offense the suspect is arrested for. An officer cannot search if he only gave a traffic citation and did not arrest the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The criminal justice system works in such a way that certain behavior or actions are legislated as a criminal offense wherein the state or the federal government can prosecute an offender even if only being suspected. In this case, there exists rules or limits into which protection are of highest concerns. It does not only apply to civilian suspects but also extends to actual prisoners, and to those who are on parole and under probation. But in reality, it has become a worldwide issue in terms of illegal searches. It has even been stipulated in the U.S. Constitution 's Bill of Rights stating that these restrictions start on the premises of the rights to refuse to testify against oneself, the right to confront one 's accuser and the right to a trial by jury for people charged with crimes. But these federal protections may not always seem to hold especially when police enforcers are dealing with prisoners, people on parole and on probation status. This happens because the jurisdictions regarding these matters depend on the ruling court. The court regulates and decides whether the legislative rule, court practice or police action is permissible under the federal and state constitutional law. From here, we can say during the course of searches, we should be aware and vigilant of possible violations by the apprehending police officers. In such cases, knowledge of the legality, technicality and the law should at least be required or at least explained to the person being searched. As mentioned a while ago, the case becomes quite sensitive for people who are imprisoned, on parole and under probation. The situation for them is very difficult in the sense that they are…

    • 2812 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Fourth Amendment

    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In some cases when a warrant is being executed there is times when law enforcement can seize an item that is in plain sight even if the item in not yet specified in the warrant, but if that precaution were to be taken there would have to be an obvious reason (Salon.com). Often times law enforcement create problems when acting without a warrant, because they seize an item to soon, or invade a property without probable cause. However, there are cases where the Fourth Amendment does not always apply; which does not make it any more okay to intrude on people’s property. For example, private invasions of property, not acting in the way of the government authority are exempt from the Fourth Amendment (Wex Legal Dictionary). A seizure of a property only occurs with the meaning of the Fourth Amendment; for law enforcement to seize a property, it would mean to take into their possession, this shows just how important a warrant really is or officers could technically seize any property they would like. The people of the United States rely on the Fourth Amendment to keep our properties private and safe. Warrantless searches of private properties are mostly prohibited, if they were not prohibited law enforcement would be free to search and seize properties and objects, and ultimately arrest people without valuable…

    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Search and Seize Paper

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The most famous search and seizure is Mapp v. Ohio. This case happens back in 1961, March 29 and end on June 19, 1961. Which were an unreasonable searches and seizures what relates on the fourth Amendment. When the police received a tip that Dollree Mapp and her daughter were harboring a suspected bombing fugitive, they immediately went to her house and demanded entrance. Mapp called her attorney and under his advice she refused to give them entry because they did not have a warrant. Later on that day more officers came to her door and demanded that they be allowed to enter her house. After Mapp refused, they opened a door to the house through forced entry. Knock down her door completely. Mapp confronted them and demanded to see the search warrant. The police waved a piece of paper in the air claiming it was the warrant and Mapp grabbed it and put it down her shirt. The police eventually got the "warrant" back from Mapp. Also when the cop took the paper back for the warrant for her Mapp was taking a deep thought on how was that was right for him to not let her see the information about the warrant. Next, Mapp was cuffed her feet and went on to search her entire house for the fugitive. When they reached her basement they found a trunk containing a small collection of pornographic books, pictures, and photographs. Mapp said the trunk was left in the basement by a previous tenant and was not aware of its contents. The officers arrested Mapp for violating an Ohio law which prohibited the possession of obscene material. On her arrest she knows the laws for Ohio but they didn’t even give her time to discuss or tell who use to live in their home before her. No fugitive or any evidence of one was ever found at the house. Nothing but pic what Mapp didn’t have a clue who they belong to. At her trial in the Court room, Mapp was charged based on the evidence that was presented by the police. Mapp's attorney questioned the police about the…

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Exclusionary Rule

    • 624 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Fourth amendment guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. The interpretation and execution of the Fourth amendment in the courtroom however, is decided by the Supreme Court in an attempt to find a fair balance between individual and community interests. The exclusionary rule for example, is a Supreme Court precedent that holds police departments responsible for seizing incriminating information according to constitutional specifications of due process, or the information will not be allowed as evidence in a criminal trial. The question that arises in turn, is whether the exclusionary rule has handcuffed the abilities to effectively protect the community by the police, or if it has actually resulted in a positive police reform which needs to be expanded upon.…

    • 624 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dlk Case Analysis

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Document A provides an overview of a precedent case, Carroll v. United States, where it was decided that in the situation that evidence could be destroyed or hidden, it is constitutional to conduct a search without a warrant. The overview described the case saying “federal agents believed Carroll was selling liquor...they saw him driving...and pulled him over…they searched his car finding liquor and arrested him.” Although this case is in fact different from DLK v. United States, it mirrors one idea, law enforcement took action without a warrant. In DLK v. United States, the federal agents suspected DLK was growing marijuana in his home. However, because there was not sufficient evidence to obtain a warrant “the imager [was a reasonable way] for law enforcement to gather information without … a search warrant” (Document E). Using thermal imaging in this case was a permitted means of collecting information and is summarized well with Justice John Paul Stevens’s statement in Document F, “[t]he officers’ conduct did not amount to a search and was perfectly…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In criminal cases, there is always a need for evidence to convict the suspected criminal of breaking the law; however, because people have an expectation of privacy, warrants, legal permission to obtain evidence, are required before searching and/or seizing someone's things, writings, electronic data, etc. without the permission of the person being targeted. Before a warrant can be issued, there must be probable cause, sufficient reason to believe that a person committed a crime, present. This prevents people's privacy from being violated unnecessarily; however, there are some exceptions to this requirement. If the situation is deemed an emergency, then a warrant is not required, which means that it is possible that a person's right to privacy could be violated regardless of the warrant…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A search occurs when an expectation of privacy that society considers reasonable is infringed by a governmental employee or by an agent of the government. Private individuals who are not acting in either capacity are exempt from the Fourth Amendment prohibitions. A seizure refers to the interference with an individual 's possessory interest in property. To meet the definition of an unreasonable seizure, the property 's owner must have had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the items seized. A person is seized when law enforcement personnel use physical force to restrain the person if a reasonable person in the same or a similar situation would not feel free to leave the situation. The previous owner of abandoned property cannot allege an unreasonable seizure of that abandoned property. Abandoned property is property left behind by its owner in a manner in which the owner abandons the possessory interest in the property and no longer retains a reasonable expectation of privacy with regard to the search (Law School, 2013).…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Today a high percentage of the arrests done by law enforcement are from seized evidence that was in plain view and does not come under the Fourth Amendment. The plain view doctrine states that items that are within the sight of a police officer who is legally in a place from which the view is made may properly be seized without a warrant as long as such items are immediately recognizable as subject to seizure (Criminal Procedure: Law and Practice 2004). In other instances police can also seize evidence that is in open fields. The open fields doctrine holds that items in open fields are not protected by the Fourth Amendment’s guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures, so they can properly be taken by an officer without a warrant or probable cause (Criminal Procedure: Law and Practice 2004).…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “In all cases, the search must be conducted when there is probable cause. If an officer fails to execute a warrant before probable cause has dissipated, then any resulting search is violative of the Fourth Amendment, and the fruits thereof are subject to the exclusionary rule. This is true even if the search is conducted within the period of time set by law” (Hall, 2014, p. 411)…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Stop and Frisk

    • 1557 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Supreme Court rejected the defendants' arguments. The Court noted that stops and frisks are considerably less intrusive than full-blown arrests and searches. It also observed that the interests in crime prevention and in police safety require that the police have some leeway to act before full probable cause has developed. The Fourth Amendment's reasonableness requirement is sufficiently flexible to permit an officer to investigate the situation. The "sole justification" for a frisk, said the Court, is the "protection of the police officer and others nearby." Because of this narrow scope, a frisk must be "reasonably designed to discover guns,…

    • 1557 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution states: Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause. This amendment impacts law enforcement because police need a warrant to make arrests and searches. This is not applicable if the officer has first-hand knowledge of an event and the evidence is likely to be destroyed or the subject will abscond if time is taken to get a warrant. If a warrantless search is made by the police that should have been made only after a warrant was issued, then all knowledge gained by that evidence is not allowed in testimony.…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On 4th Amendment

    • 1106 Words
    • 5 Pages

    However, if there was a probable cause to search that person because they were somehow involved, or an eyewitness identified their involvement while the crime was happening, a police officer could search them. If law enforcement came upon a scene where a crime was in progress, they could enter and search a location or person within the location of the crime in progress without violating that person’s fourth amendment rights.…

    • 1106 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Over time, technology has impacted the police and other law enforcement agencies with new devices for gathering evidence. These new tools have caused constitutional questions to surface. One particular case in Oregon of an individual (DLK) aroused such question. DLK was suspected of growing marijuana inside of his home. Agents used a thermal imager to scan DLK’s residence form the outside. The results indicated heat, just like the kind that is generated by special lights used for growing marijuana indoors. Constructed by the scan, a judge issued a search warrant. A warrant – a legal paper authorizing a search – cannot be issued unless there is a cause, and a probable cause must be sworn to by the police officer or prosecutor and approved by a judge. A warrant must describe what is being searched and what will be seized. 100 marijuana plants were found finalizing the arrest of DLK; however, did the scan violate DLK’s Fourth Amendment rights? The Fourth Amendment states, “The right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall be issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized” (Constitution). This amendment touches on the expectation of privacy in your home and person. The government is not unable to search you, your home, your belongings, or take your belongings, also known as a seizure, without a good reason. A person’s Fourth Amendment rights may at times seem to delay the world of law enforcement. If the police feel that they have…

    • 987 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Probable cause is a standard of reasonable belief, based on facts. Probable cause is necessary to sue someone in a civil court, or to arrest and prosecute someone in a criminal court. Before a person can be sued, arrested, or prosecuted the plaintiff, or the police and prosecutor must have enough that would lead a reasonable person to believe the claim or charge is true. Probable cause sets a limit on police power. A police officer cannot arrest a person just because they want to. The officer must have a reasonable amount of suspicion or evidence to stop or detain them, and probable cause to charge or arrest them. An officer must always meet the criteria of probable cause before taking action with regard to criminal activity. If the officer does not have probable cause the case will be dismissed and the officer will be open to a lawsuit. The context of the Criminal Procedure is important to the criminal justice system as it allows rules and regulations to adhere to the court system in criminal proceeding (Zalman, 2008, p. 10). A criminal procedure starts with the first contact of a police officer through investigating and interrogation. Next is the pretrial process, charges by the prosecutor, adjudication claiming guilty or innocent or plea bargaining, the sentencing process, and last the appellate review by a higher court (Zalman, 2008, p. 10). Criminal procedure and probable cause correlate within each other in the criminal justice system. Cell phone tracking and or hacking has been a controversial issue because of the rights that stand behind it. As a team we have selected to cover the current topic on cell phone tracking and how the search and arrest warrants correlate with probable cause, exceptions to warrant requirements, defining search and seizure arrest and reasonableness in conjunction to the criminal justice system.…

    • 1777 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    (Exclusionary Rule, n.d.) The first case that applied the exclusionary rule was the case of Weeks v. United States, 232 U.S. 393, in which the Supreme Court “held that the Fourth Amendment barred the use of evidence secured through a warrantless search.” (Exclusionary Rule, n.d.) The exclusionary rule requires an illegal action by a police officer or agent of the police, evidence secured as a result of the illegal action, and a “casual connection between the illegal action and the evidence secured.” (Evaluation, n.d.)…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays