Exam 2 Chapter 6 power point Flashcards
(50 cards)
Fourth Amendment:
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, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Searches and Seizures:
The legal term, as found in the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, that generally refers to the searching for and the confiscating of evidence by law enforcement agents.
Probable Cause:
reasonable grounds to believe that facts warranting certain actions such as the search or arrest of a person
Reasonableness
The concept of reasonableness is linked to probable cause.
Though courts have spent innumerable hours scrutinizing the word, no specific meaning for reasonable exists.
Sources of Probable Cause
- Personal observation:
- Information:
- Evidence:
- Association:
Personal observation:
Police officers may use their personal training, experience, and expertise to infer probable cause from situations that may not be obviously criminal.
Information
law enforcement officers receive information from victims, eyewitness, informants, and official sources such as police bulletins or broadcast
Association
In some circumstances, if the police see a person with a known criminal background in a place where criminal activity is openly taking place, they have probable cause to stop that person.
The Exclusionary Rule
According to this rule, any evidence obtained by an unreasonable search or seizure is inadmissible against a defendant in a criminal trial.
types of exceptions
Inevitable Discovery” Exception
“Good Faith” Exception
Negligence Exception
“Inevitable Discovery” Exception:
hows it used in court
The legal principle that illegally obtained evidence can be admissible in court if police using lawful means would “inevitably” have discovered it.
“Good Faith” Exception:
the legal principle that evidence obtained with the use of a technically invalid search warrant is admissible during trial if the police acted in good faith when they sought the warrant from a judge.
Negligence Exception:
to trigger the exclusionary rule, police conduct must be deliberate, reckless, or grossly negligence
The Role of Privacy Searches:
Search is defined as the process by which police examine a person or property to find evidence that will be used to prove guilt in a criminal trial.
Private Search Doctrine:
The legal principle that a private search eliminates the owner’s reasonableness of privacy regarding the object searched.
Katz v. United States (1967).
The recognized standard for a “reasonable expectation of privacy” was established in ____
two-pronged test for a person’s expectation of privacy:
the individual must prove that she or he expected privacy
society must recognize that expectation as reasonable
Search and Seizure Warrants
A search warrant is a court order that authorizes police to search a certain area.
Affidavit
A written statement of facts, confirmed by the oath or affirmation of the party making it and made before a person having the authority to administer the oath or affirmation.
Seizure
A seizure is the act of taking possession of a person or property
In general, four categories of items can be seized by use of a search warrant
- Items resulting from the crime
- Items that are inherently illegal for anybody to possess.
- Items that can be called “evidence” of the crime.
- items used in committing the crime
Searches and Seizures Without a Warrant
Police officers do not need a warrant to enter a private home in an emergency, such as when they reasonably fear for the safety of the inhabitants.
The two most important circumstances in which a warrant is not needed include (1) searches incidental to an arrest and (2) consent searches.
As long as the original arrest was based on probable cause, these searches are valid for two reasons,
what supreme court established this?
- the need for a police officer to find and confiscate any weapons a suspect may be carrying
- The need to protect any evidence on the suspect’s person from being destroyed.
established by the Supreme Court in United States v. Robinson (1973):
The most relevant factors in determining whether consent is voluntary:
The age, intelligence, and physical condition of the consenting suspect.
Any coercive behavior by the police, such as the language used to request consent.
The length of the questioning and its location.