Was That Police Search and Seizure Action Legal?€¦ · police may conduct a search, or seize evidence, or stop or arrest an individual without a warrant. A. When You Consent to

© James Publishing

Was That Police Search and Seizure Action Legal?

ContentsI. Introduction ............................................................................. 4

II. The Ground Rules ..................................................................... 6

A. The Police Must Obtain a Warrant to Invade Your Privacy ...................6

B. The Warrant Must Be Based on “Probable Cause” ..............................7

C. Evidence Unlawfully Obtained Cannot Be Used Against You ...............7

III. ExceptionstotheGroundRules–WhenIsaWarrantNotRequired? ................................................................................. 9

A. When You Consent to the Search ......................................................10

B. WhenEvidenceofCriminalActivityIsinPlainView .........................11

C. When You Are Detained, Arrested, Searched Incident to Arrest ........12

1. InvestigativeStopBasedonaReasonableSuspicion .......................12

2. ArrestBasedonProbableCause .....................................................13

3. SearchIncidenttoArrest ................................................................14

D. When Your Home or Place of Business Is Searched ...........................14

1. GroundsforWarrantlessEntryIntoYourHomeorBusiness ..........15

2. ScopeofaWarrantlessSearch ........................................................16

E. When You Are in a Car .....................................................................17

1. TrafficStop .......................................................................................17

2. Arrest ...............................................................................................18

F. Other Items and Places Commonly Subject to Search and/or Seizure .............................................................................................19

1. Computers ......................................................................................19

2. Luggage ...........................................................................................21

3. MailandPackages ...........................................................................22

4. Roadblocks .......................................................................................22

5. BorderSearches ..............................................................................23

IV. Conclusion ............................................................................... 24

4 Was That Police Search and Seizure Action Legal?

I.IntroductionIfyoueverhavewatchedatelevisioncrimedramaortakenahighschoolcivics

class,thenyouprobablyknowthattheFourthAmendmenttotheUnitedStates

Constitutionprohibitsunreasonablesearchesandseizuresbythegovernment.

Youprobablydon’tknow,however,theextentofthisprohibitionorhowthe

FourthAmendmentappliesineveryday,real-lifesituations.Doyouknow,for

example,whenthepoliceareallowedtoenteryourhome;orwhetheranofficer

canpatyoudownduringatrafficstop;orwhenyoucanwalkawayfromapolice

encounter?

TheFourthAmendmentprovides:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,

and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be

violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, sup-

ported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to

be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

These54wordsaremeanttoprotectyoufromoverreachingbythegovernment

andleveltheplayingfieldbetweenyouandthelargercriminaljusticesystem.In

5 WasThatPoliceSearchandSeizureActionLegal?

aperfectworld,theyallowyoutofeelsecure,whileallowinglawenforcement

enoughleewaytodoitsjob.

Intherealworld,though,anyencounterwithlawenforcementmayleaveyou

wondering,“Cantheydothat?”Here,we’lltrytoanswerthatquestionby

explainingthegeneralnatureofyourFourthAmendmentrightsandproviding

examplesofcommonsituationsinwhichtheserightsapply.


II. The Ground Rules

A. The Police Must Obtain a Warrant to Invade Your Privacy

Thegeneralruleisthatlawenforcementmusthaveawarrant–written

permissionfromajudge–tosearchorseizeanyplaceorthinginwhichyouhave

“reasonableexpectationofprivacy.”Whetheryouhaveareasonableexpectation

ofprivacyinaparticular

placeorthingwilldepend

inlargepartonthespecific

circumstancesinvolved,but

ajudgewillconsiderboth

yoursubjectivebeliefthat

aplaceorthingwasprivate

andwhether,objectively,

societywouldconsideritto

beprivate.Thus,forexample,

youhaveareasonable

expectationofprivacyinyour

homeandtheareaimmediatelyaroundyourhome,butnotinthegarbageyou

putoutonthecurbforpickup.


B. The Warrant Must Be Based on “Probable Cause”

Awarrantcanonlybeissuedupona

showingof“probablecause.”Thatis,

lawenforcementmustdemonstrate

toajudgethatthereisprobable

causetobelievethatevidenceof

acrimewillbefoundintheplace

tobesearchedand/orthatacrime

wascommittedbythepersonto

bearrested(seized).Probable

causeismorethanasuspicion,but

lessthanthereasonabledoubtrequiredtoobtainacriminalconviction.Broad,

sweepingallegationsgenerallywillnotsuffice;rather,thewarrantmustbebased

onspecific,articulablefacts.Whenissued,itmustparticularlydescribetheplaceto

besearchedandtheitemsorpersonstobeseized.Thus,thewarrantrequirement

demandsthatajudgegivehisorher“okay”toalimitedinvasionofprivacy.

C. Evidence Unlawfully Obtained Cannot Be Used Against You

Therighttobefreefromunlawfulsearchesand

seizuresisnotatrivialone;itisfundamental

toourdemocracy.Accordingly,thereare

significantconsequencesifthepoliceviolate

yourrights.


EvidenceobtainedinviolationoftheFourthAmendmentcannotbeusedagainst

you;itmustbe“suppressed”orthrownoutbecauseitistaintedbytheofficers’

unlawfulconduct.Moreover,anyevidencethatisobtainedorderivedfrom

theunlawfullyobtainedevidencealsomustbesuppressed.Thelawcallsthis

evidencethe“fruitofthepoisonoustree.”Forexample,ifthepoliceobtaina

gunasaresultofanunlawfulsearch,thegunmaynotbeusedasevidenceina

criminalcaseagainstyou,normaythefingerprintsoranyotherevidencefound

onthegun.Forlegalpurposes,itisasifthegunneverexisted.Thus,depending

onthefactsandevidenceinyourcase,suppressionofthetaintedevidencemay

resultintheentirecaseagainstyoubeingdismissed.


III. ExceptionstotheGroundRules–When Is a Warrant NotRequired?


Therearemanyexceptionstothewarrantrequirement–situationsinwhichthe

policemayconductasearch,orseizeevidence,orstoporarrestanindividual

withoutawarrant.

A. When You Consent to the Search

Ifyouconsenttothesearchofyourbag,yourcar,yourhome,oranyother

placeoritem,yourconsentgivesthepolicefreereigntosearch,withoutthe

needforprobablecauseoranyotherjustification.Yourconsentamountstoa

waiverofyourrights;thatis,byagreeingtothesearch,youagreetogiveupyour

constitutionalrighttoobjecttothelegalityofthesearch.

Inordertobevalid,consentmustbefreelyandvoluntarilygiven;however,the

policeareundernoobligationtoinformyouthatyoucanrefusetheirrequest,

andyoumayunintentionally(butstillfreelyandvoluntarily)waiveyourrights.

Youdonotvoluntarilyconsenttoasearchwhenyouaccedetotheofficer’s

apparentauthority.Thus,forexample,iftheofficersays,“I’mgoingtolookinthe

trunk,”andyousay,“Okay,”youhavenotvoluntarilyconsentedtoasearch.The

officermust,infact,seekandobtainyourpermissiontosearch.

Yourconsenttoasearchessentiallynullifiesyourrights.Accordingly,ifanofficer

asksforyourconsenttosearchyourpurseorthetrunkofyourcarortheboxin

thebackseat,thismeanstheofficerdoesnothaveawarrantandlikelycannot

relyonanyotherexceptiontothewarrantrequirementtojustifythesearch.You

havetherighttosay“No.”Exercisethatright.Donotconsenttoanysearch.


B. WhenEvidenceofCriminalActivityIsinPlainView

The“plainview”exceptiontothesearchwarrantrequirementallowslaw

enforcementtoseizeanyobjectinplainsightthatappearstobecontrabandor

evidenceofacrimeif:

1. Theofficersarelawfullypresentattheplacewheretheobjectisviewed

andhavelawfulaccesstotheobject;and

2. Theincriminatingnatureoftheobjectisimmediatelyapparent.

Thus,forexample,ifthepoliceenterahomeonavalidsearchwarrantfor

weapons,theyalsomayseizethedrugparaphernaliasittinginplainviewonthe

kitchentable.


C. When You Are Detained, Arrested, Searched Incident to Arrest

Thepoliceneednojustificationtoapproachyouon

thestreetandaskyouquestions.Aslongasthereisno

officialcompulsionforyoutostoporrespond,thereis

noissue.TheFourthAmendmentonlycomesintoplay

whenapersonis“seized”bylawenforcement.

Youdonothavetobearrestedinordertobe“seized.”

Iftheofficers’conductsuggestsyouarenotfreeto

walkaway,thatisaFourthAmendmentseizure.Thisconductmightincludethe

useoflightsandsirens;theofficers’wordsortoneofvoice;anofficerplacinghis

handsonyouordisplayingaweaponorpositioninghimselftoblockyourexit.

Thethreateningpresenceofseveralofficers,inandofitself,maybeenoughto

createa“seizure”situation.Bottomline:If,inlightofallthecircumstances,a

reasonablepersonwouldbelievehewasnotfreetoleave,thenaseizurehas

occurredandFourthAmendmentrightsattach.

1. InvestigativeStopBasedonaReasonableSuspicion

Thepolicemaymakeaninvestigativestop,withoutawarrant,whentheyhave

areasonablesuspicionthatcriminalactivityisafoot.Areasonablesuspicion

issomethingmorethanahunch,butnotmuchmorethanthatisrequired.

However,theofficermustbeabletoarticulatespecificfactsthatledhimtostop

you.

Aspartofaninvestigativestop,theofficermayaskforyouridentification;thisis

notconsideredtobeanunreasonableintrusionintoyourprivacyforpurposesof

theFourthAmendment.Inaddition,theofficermayconductalimitedfriskfor


weapons,toprotecthissafety,butonlyifhehasareasonablesuspicionthatyou

arearmedandpotentiallydangeroustohim.

Aninvestigativestopisconstitutionalonlyifitis“reasonable.”Thatis,itmustbe

“nolongerthannecessary”toaccomplishthegoalofthestop,andtheofficer

mustuse“theleastintrusivemeansreasonablyavailable”toachievethatgoal.

2. Arrest Based on Probable Cause

Anarrestisaseizureofapersonthatisallowedunder

theConstitutiononlyifitisbasedon“probablecause.”

Probablecauseisahigherstandardthanthe“reasonable

suspicion”anofficerneedsforaninvestigativestop.An

officerhasprobablecausetoarrestif,inlightofallthefacts

andcircumstances,areasonablepersonwouldbelievethat

acrimewasorisbeingcommittedandthattheperson

arrestedcommittedit.

Herearesomeexamplesofcircumstancesthatmightgive

anofficerprobablecausetoarrestwithoutawarrant:

• Anofficerwhoisfamiliarwithdrugdealingorison

surveillanceorispatrollingaknownhighcrime/high

druguseareaobservesahand-to-handtransaction

thatincludestheexchangeofmoneyforasmallitem.

• Anofficerobserveserraticdrivingandpullsthevehicleover.Thedriver

hasred,bloodshoteyes;isslurringhisspeech;smellsofalcohol;failsone

ormorefieldsobrietytests;and/oradmitstohavingbeendrinking.Any

combinationofthesefactswillcreateprobablecausetoarrest.

• Anofficerdetectstheunmistakableodorofaparticularcontrolled

substance,andthatodorcanbelinkedtoaparticularindividual.


Thelinebetweena“stop”andan“arrest”issometimesblurry.Inevaluatingthe

situation,ajudgewillconsiderallthecircumstances,includingthereasonyou

werestopped,howlongyouweredetained,andyourfreedomofmovement

whileyouweredetained(e.g.,wereyouhandcuffed).

3. Search Incident to Arrest

Ifyouarearrested,thepolicemayconductalimitedsearch

“incidenttoarrest.”Thismeansthattheofficersmaysearch

youandtheareawithinyour“immediatecontrol.”Thisis

knownasthe“grabarea,”anditextendstoanyspaceor

containerfromwhichyoumightgainaccesstoaweaponor

todestroyevidence(e.g.,theinteriorofthecar;yourpurse

onthefrontseat;thehotelroomwhereyouarearrested;

thebrownpaperbagonthecoffeetable).The“grabarea”issignificantlyreduced

ifyouarehandcuffed,andevenmoresoifyouarehandcuffedandplaced

insidealockedsquadcar.The“grabarea”ruledoesnotprecludeallsearchesof

containersonceyouarehandcuffed.Ifabagorothercontainerthatmaycontain

aweaponorotherevidenceisaccessibletobystandersoryourcompatriots,it

maybesubjecttosearchuponyourarrest.

D. When Your Home or Place of Business Is Searched

Lawenforcementmaynotenterorsearchyourhomeorplaceofbusiness

withoutawarrant,unlessoneoftheseexceptionstothewarrantrequirement

applies.


1. Grounds for Warrantless Entry Into Your Home or Business

Inordertogainentryintoyourhome,lawenforcementmayrelyon:

Emergency

Lawenforcementmayenterahomeorbusinesswithoutawarrantinorderto

savealife,whentheybelieveapersonisinneedofimmediateassistanceand

thereisnotimetoobtainawarrant.Thisisknownasthe“exigentcircumstanc-

es”or“emergency”doctrine.Afireisanexigentcircumstancethatwouldallow

policetoenterwithoutawarrant.Ifahomeorbusinessisthesceneofamurder,

thepolicemayenterwithoutawarranttosearchforthesuspectand/orother

victims.Inaddition,policemayenterahomeorbusinesstopreventaninjury,ifit

appearstotheofficersthataphysicalconfrontationisimminent(e.g.,onado-

mesticviolencecall).

Hot Pursuit

Thepolicemayenterahomeorplaceofbusinessinhotpursuitofafelonysus-

pectseekingtoavoidarrest.Toputitanotherway,apersontryingtoevadethe

policecannotrunintoaprivatedwellingandcall“Safe!”Thepolicecanfollow

himinside,hotonhisheels,withoutawarrant.

Consent

Whenyougivethepolicepermissiontoenterand/orsearchyourhomeorplace

ofbusiness,yourconsentamountstoawaiver–avoluntaryabdication–ofyour

FourthAmendmentrights,andthepolicearefreetosearchwithouttheneedfor

awarrant.Moreover,anyonewithcontroloverthepremiseshastheauthority

toconsenttoasearchofthepremises.Thus,forexample,ifyouareaway,your

roommatehastheauthoritytoletthepoliceinandtoconsenttoasearchofyour

apartment.Thatauthoritymaynotextendtoallareasoftheproperty,however.

Ingeneral,yourroommate’sconsentwouldextendtocommonareas(thekitchen,

livingarea)andtohisorherroom.Ifyouhavetakenstepstoprotecttheprivacy


ofyourpersonalspace(e.g.,lockedyourbedroomdoor,placedyourbelongingsin

alockedfootlockerorchest),thenyourroommatemaynothavetheauthorityto

consenttoasearchofthatspace.

2. Scope of a Warrantless Search

Onceinsideyourhomeorbusiness,lawenforcementmayconductalimited

searchwithoutawarrant,onthefollowinggrounds.Amoreextensivesearchof

yourhomeorbusinessgenerallywillrequireawarrant.

ProtectiveSweep

Whenpoliceenterahomeorbusiness,theyareallowedtomakea“protective

sweep”oftheentirepremisestoensuretheirsafetyandprotectthemselvesfrom

dangerouspersonswhomightbeonthepremises.Aprotectivesweepisnot

meanttobeasintrusiveasfull-blownsearch;itshouldbenomorethanaquick

andcursoryinspection.

Search Incident to Arrest

Whenpoliceofficersenterahomeorbusinesstomakeanarrest,theofficersmay

searchtheareaofthehomethatisimmediatelyaccessibletothepersonbeingarrest-

ed.Thisexceptiondoesnotjustifyafull-blownsearchoftheentirehomeorbusiness.

PlainView

Whenpolicearelawfullyinyourhomeorbusi-

ness(pursuanttoavalidsearchwarrant,orcon-

sent,oranemergency,oranyotherexceptionto

thewarrantrequirement),theofficersmayseize

anycontrabandorobviousevidenceofacrime

thatthatisin“plainview.”


E. When You Are in a Car

1. TrafficStop

Thepolicemaystopacarbasedonamerereasonablesuspicionthatatraffic

offensehasbeencommitted.Thisisaneasystandardtomeet;rarelyisatraffic

stopfoundtobeunconstitutional.Whethertheofficer’sconductafterthestopis

constitutionalwilldependonthespecificcircumstances.

Ifyouarepulledover,thepolicemay:

• Asktoseeyourdriver’slicenseandregistration,andaskotherquestions

relatedtoyouridentity.

• Shineaflashlightinsidethecarandseizeanycontrabandinplainview.

• Movepaperstolookatthevehicleidentificationnumber;and

• Orderyouandanypassengersoutofthevehicle.

Theofficer’sconductmustbereasonable,inlightofthereasonforthestop.He

cannotaskanyquestionsortakeanyactionsthatareunrelatedtothestopor

thatunnecessarilyprolongthestop.So,forexample,adogsniffofacarduring

alawfultrafficstopispermissible,aslongasitoccursduringthetimedeemed

reasonablynecessarytoconductthetrafficstop.Aprolongeddetentionto

conductthedogsniffisnotpermissible.

Iftheofficergivesyouaticket(issuesa

citationforatrafficoffense),theofficer

maynotsearchyourcarorpatyoudown,

unlesstheofficerhasaparticularand

reasonablesuspicionthatyoumayposea

danger.


Iftheofficerordersyououtofthevehicle,thisalonedoesnotallowtheofficerto

friskyou.Thesameholdstrueforanypassengersinthecar.If,however,someone

makesafurtivemovement,orrefusestoobeytheofficer’sorders,orotherwise

actssuspiciously,thentheofficermaybejustifiedinpattingdownallthevehicle’s

occupants.

Iftheofficerhasprobablecausetobelievethatyourcarcontainsevidenceof

acrime,hecansearchthevehicle,andanycontainersinthevehiclethatmay

holdthatevidence,withoutawarrant.Thisincludesluggage,purses,backpacks,

wallets,oranyothercontainerinthecar.

2. Arrest

Ifthetrafficstopevolvesinto

thearrestofyouand/orone

ofyourpassengers,then

theofficermaysearchyour

vehicle“incidenttoarrest”:

1. Toprotecthissafety,

butonlywhenthe

personbeingarrested

isunsecuredand

withinreaching

distanceofthepassengercompartmentatthetimeofthesearch;or

2. Whentheofficerbelievesthatevidencerelatedtothecrimemightbe

foundinthevehicle.

Sincethepoliceusuallywillhandcuffandsecurethepersonbeingarrested,the

“safety”argumentseldomapplies.Theevidencepreservationargumentmight

justifyasearchofthevehicle,dependingonthecrimeforwhichyouoryour


passengerisbeingarrested.If,forexample,yourpassengerisbeingarrestedfor

possessionofdrugsorweapons,thepolicegenerallywillbejustifiedinsearching

thecarandeverythinginit.

F. Other Items and Places Commonly Subject to Search and/or Seizure

1. Computers

Computersearchesaretrickyforlawenforcement,andthelinebetweenwhatis

constitutionalandwhatisnot,isstillbeingdeterminedinmanyrespects.

Acomputerisnotthesameasametalfilingcabinetoradeskdrawer.Access

tothecomputergivesapersonvirtuallyunlimitedaccesstoawholehostof

informationstoredonthecomputer.Computers,tablets,andsmartphonescan,

andoftendo,holddocuments,contactlists,photos,textmessages,emailandweb

history,andaGPSrecord.Allofthisinformationishighlypersonalandjustifiesthe

highestexpectationofprivacy,aswellasthehighestlevelofFourthAmendment

protection.Accordingly,inmostcasesthepolicewillneedawarranttosearchyour

computerorcellphone,andthescopeofthesearchmustbenarrowlydefined.

Yourconsenteliminatestheneedforawarrant.Ifyoushareyourcomputerwith

anotherperson,thatpersonmayhaveauthoritytoconsenttoasearchofyour

computer.However,ifyouhavetakenstepstoprotectyourprivacy–e.g.,ifyour

filesarepassword-protectedorifyouhaveaseparateusernameandpasswordso

thattheotheruserscannotopenyourfiles–thentheotheruserswillnothave

authoritytoconsenttoasearchofyourfiles.


Theplainviewexceptionobviatestheneedforawarrant,butonlyiftheevidence

anditsincriminatingcharacterare“immediatelyapparent”whilelookingfor

theauthorizedobjectsofthesearch.Thus,forexample,tappingakeyboard

ormovingamousetodisableascreensaverandrevealthelastfileviewed


isasearchthatisnotjustifiedbytheofficer’sobservinginplainviewadark

screenorcomputermonitor.Similarly,ifthepoliceclaimthattheyencountered

incriminatingfilesinplainviewwhilesearchingforotherfiles,theyshouldhave

probablecausetobelievethefolderandfilecontaincontrabandorevidence,

basedsolelyonthenameofthefileorfolder.Afilelabeled“creativewriting,”for

example,wouldnotsupportaplainviewsearchforevidenceofdrugtransactions.

Yourphone,whichisbasicallyahandheldcomputer,maybeseizedincident

toarrestbecauseitmightcontainevidencethatcouldbedestroyed.However,

becauseofthepersonalandprivatenatureoftheinformationitlikelycontains,

andthefactthatitisnotlikelytoconcealadangerousweapon,thepolicemay

needawarranttosearchit.Agrowingnumberofcourtsarerefusingtoallow

policetosearchacellphoneincidenttoarrest,rejectingtheanalogythatacell

phoneissimilartootherphysical“containers”immediatelyassociatedwitha

person,likeawalletorapackofcigarettes.

2. Luggage

Youhaveareasonableexpectationofprivacyinyourluggageand

otherpersonal“containers,”suchasapurse,walletorbackpack.

Whetherthepolicemaysearchyourluggagewithoutawarrant

dependsonthecircumstances.Luggageinairportsmaybe

searched,x-rayedorsniffedbyadogwithoutawarrantwhen

travelingonanairplane.If,ontheotherhand,youarestoppedon

yourwaytotheairport,andyoursuitcaseisinthebackseat,itmay

besearchedonlyiftheofficerhasprobablecausetobelieveitmay

concealevidenceofacrime.


3. Mail and Packages

Federallawprohibitstheopeningoffirst-classmailandpackageswithoutawarrant.

However,lawenforcementmayholdapackageovernight,ordelaydeliveryofa

package,inordertoobtainawarrant.Itisnotuncommon,forexample,forpostal

authoritiestoholdasuspiciouspackagesothatlawenforcementcanconduct

adogsniffandobtainawarrantifthedogalerts.Thereisnomagicformula

fordetermininghowmanydaysorhoursconstituteareasonabledelaybefore

conductingadogsniffofthepackage;whetherthedelaywasunreasonable,and

thereforeunconstitutional,isdecidedonacase-by-casebasis.

Privatecarriers,suchasFedExorUPS,arenotsubjecttotheFourthAmendment

andemployeesofthesecarriersmaysearchpackagesandcallinlawenforcement

toviewwhattheyhaveinspectedandconductdrugfieldtests.

4. Roadblocks

Absentspecialcircumstances,the

FourthAmendmentforbidspolice

fromsettinguparoadblockand

stoppingdriversforgeneral“crime

control”purposes.However,

roadblocksarepermissible:

• Tomaintainborder

security;

• Tocurbdrunkdriving

(sobrietycheckpoints);and

• Toaskforinformationaboutacrimelikelycommittedbyother(thatis,not

todetermineifthevehicleoccupantsthemselveswerecommittingacrime).


5. Border Searches

AnypersoncrossingaUnitedStatesborder,whethercomingorgoing,issubject

tosearchandseizure,withoutawarrantandwithoutprobablecauseoreven

areasonablesuspicionthatcriminalactivityisafoot.TheUnitedStatesborder

includeslandborderswithothercountries,aswellasotherpointsofentry,

includingairportsandshipdocks.

Abordersearchcanbeextensive,including,forexample,dismantlingagas

tankorcuttingopenasparetire.However,theborderagents’authorityisnot

unlimited.Themoreextensiveand/orprolongedthedetentionorsearch,the

greaterthejustificationforitmustbe.

Asearchthatoccursaftertheborderhasbeencrossed,atsomedistancefrom

theborder,isconsideredmoreintrusiveandmustbejustifiedby(a)areasonable

certaintythattheborderwas,infact,recentlycrossedand(b)areasonable

suspicionofcriminalactivity.


IV. ConclusionTheFourthAmendment’sprotectionagainstunlawfulsearchesandseizures

servestoprotectyoufromoverreachingbythegovernment,andaimstostrike

abalancebetweenindividualprivacyandpublicsafety.Thetouchstoneforall

FourthAmendmentissuesis“reasonableness”:

• Didyouhaveareasonableexpectationofprivacyintheplaceoritems

searched?


• Didtheofficerhaveawarrant,basedonprobablecause?

• Wasthereanemergencyorotherreasonablebasistojustifyawarrantless

searchorseizure?

• Didtheofficerhavereasonablegroundstostopyou?Probablecauseto

arrestyou?

• Didtheofficerbehavereasonablyincarryingoutthesearch:Wereyou

detainedfornolongerthannecessary?Wasthesearchlimitedtoareas

reasonablynecessarytoprotecttheofficer’ssafetyand/orreasonablylikely

toholdevidenceofacrime?Wasitnomoreintrusivethannecessary?

Itistheseprinciplesofreasonableness,asappliedtothespecificfactsofyour

situation,thatyourcriminaldefenselawyerwillrelyonincraftingamotionto

suppresstheevidenceagainstyou.Youcanhelpbyremainingcalmduringany

encounterwiththepolice,andcloselyobservingtheofficers’behavior.Themore

detailsyoucanprovideyourattorney,thestrongertheargumenthecanmake

thattheevidencewasobtainedinviolationofyourFourthAmendmentrights.

Ihopethisinformationhasbeenhelpful.IfIcanprovidelegalassistance,pleasecontactmeat:

Documents

Was That Police Search and Seizure Action Legal?€¦ · police may conduct a search, or seize evidence, or stop or arrest an individual without a warrant. A. When You Consent to