Essay about The Fourth Amendment

Submitted By jrodriguez1977
Words: 355
Pages: 2

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 (The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution).
Warrantless searches are called emergency searches which in definition is a search conducted by the police without a warrant, which is justified on the basis of immediate danger to life, escape or destruction of evidence.
I believe those warrantless searches are legal because police officers o lot of time encounter situations where there is no time to wait for a judge to find probable cause and sign a warrant, and in some of these situations a person life could be in danger. It’s those situations that can be an exemption for an officer to enter premises without a warrant; however they must demonstrate that conducting the search is justified.
These warrantless searches are important because it could make the difference between saving an officers life or someone else’s life. Also if a suspect is trying to get rid of evidence that could incriminate him to a specific crime or simply a suspect would attempt an escape. It is in these situations where an officer’s discretion comes into play, using his best judgment for every possible scenario according to the U.S. Constitution. It is very important that