preview

Fourth Amendment Research Paper

Decent Essays

The fourth amendment protects citizen’s right against unreasonable search and seizures. Law enforcement are required to show probable cause to be issued a warrant which grants law enforcement to conduct a legal search. There are a few exceptions when a warrant is not required, but probable cause is still needed.
There could be several issues that arise with law enforcement seizing evidence from the passenger. Did law enforcement have a reasonable belief that the suspect had control of a weapon and that the suspect was also dangerous? Was the search of the passenger unconstitutional and did law enforcement invade the passenger’s privacy? Another thing to consider is if the evidence seized was part of the original reason for the officer conducting …show more content…

I believe it would be granted due to law enforcement’s suspicions not being reasonable or articulable. In the case of State v. Braxton, 90 N.C. App. 204 (N.C. Ct. App. 1988), the court found, "gestures which are not clearly furtive are insufficient to establish probable cause for a warrantless search unless the officer has other specific knowledge relating to evidence of crime." In State v. Braxton the defendant was pulled over by law enforcement for speeding and was observed putting something under the seat. When the defendant exited the vehicle the law enforcement officer searched the defendant and refused to answer any questions which pertained to the object which was put under the seat. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and found illegal drugs which led to the arrest of the defendant. Law enforcement continued searching the vehicle and found more evidence of illegal contraband. It was found that the defendant’s suspicions movements and actions were not enough probable cause to find the defendant dangerous. However, if law enforcement uses the observation of the young woman handing the passenger an object and then walking away from the vehicle as probable cause it could be argued that law enforcement’s suspicions were reasonable and

Get Access