Writing Assignment

Warrantless Searches and seizures

Under the Fourth Amendments, every search or seizure by a government agent must be reasonable. In general, searches and seizures are unreasonable and invalid unless based on probable cause and executed pursuant to a warrant. However, certain kinds of searches and seizures are valid as exceptions to the probable cause and warrant requirements, including investigatory stops, investigatory detentions of property, warrantless arrests, searches incident to a valid arrest, Seizures of items in plain view, Searches and seizures justified by exigent circumstances, consensual searches, searches of vehicles, searches of containers, inventory searches, border searches, searches at sea, administrative searches, and searches in which the special needs of law enforcement make probable cause and warrant requirements impracticable.

Three Essential Components of an arrest warrant or search warrant: It must be issued by a neutral and detached magistrate. A showing of probable causes is required. It must be conforming to the fourth amendment.

To obtain a warrant law official must need acceptable levels of probable cause to issue a warrant. There are two major types of warrants, Arrest warrants, and search warrants, but the two warrants are differing. To obtain an arrest warrant The arresting officer must have probable causes of a felony being committed or in the act of committing a felony. Search warrants is a legal document authorizing law officials to enter and search one’s premises. To obtain a search warrant the opposing law official must be searching for evidence to hold against an individual or individuals.

Search warrants require probable causes for items to be seized in connections of criminal activity, but must be done in a timely manner. The location to be searched must hold evidence that the Law official can use against the defendant for prosecution. If there is no probable cause in the location to be searched then evidence prove to have illegal search, it becomes subject to “exclusionary rule” and cannot be used on defended in court. An arrest warrant does not have the same requirements; the arresting officer must simply show probable cause that the offender has committed the crime by simply asking the question.