preview

The Importance Of The Fourth Amendment

Better Essays

The Fourth Amendment, provides protection to individuals during searches and detentions, and also prevents unlawfully seized items from being used as evidence against an individual in criminal cases. This simply means that no authority figure can pull you over, arrest you, or search you without a valid reason. The only way that an authority figure can actually pull you over or arrest you is if you are doing something illegal, although there are a few exceptions. For example, if a police officer knocks on your door and asks to come in, and you allow him to come in, he can now search anything within reach. The same exception can be applied to when an officer pulls you over. He can search your car and glove box if it is unlocked. An officer needs permission from the owner or a warrant to search anything that is locked. Another exception in this amendment is the search for security reasons such as at an airport. An airport security …show more content…

Although the Fourth Amendment does protect the people in many important ways, in my opinion the right that law enforcers have to frisk those who they find suspicious is unnecessary and should be removed. Many conflicts have been seen in today’s society where police frisk people who they find suspicious of something and it ends in bloodshed. The right for law enforcers to frisk people should be replaced with things such as metal detectors to detect any weapons without them touching the individuals to avoid any unnecessary conflicts. In the court case of Terry v. Ohio the usage of frisking did turn out to be beneficial but there have also been many cases where things do not always necessarily turn out that way so it would be better to avoid any conflicts and instead find a better way to address this

Get Access