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I have chosen to write my paper on the Fourth amendment, which prohibits unreasonable search and seizures. I feel this is one of the most important amendments we have in our constitution. This amendment protects our right to privacy and property. We the people have rights to equal treatment under the law, we should not be judged based on our sex, age or skin color. The framers felt the freedoms of the fourth amendment were a foundation of what we stood for and it was an essential part of our county. James Otis was one of the first colonists to speak out against the crown. He said, "One of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one's house. A man's house is his castle; and whilst he is quiet, he is as well …show more content…

The fourth amendment has changed the way police are allowed to conduct criminal searches. Today, if a police officer wants to search for something inside a home or car, they must first have a warrant and a probable cause. For example, probable cause would be if a police officer knocked on some ones door and could plainly see drugs from where they’re standing. That counts as probable cause and they do not need a warrant to enter the home and make an arrest. However, if they don’t have a probable cause or a warrant then by the power of the fourth amendment you do not have to let them in your home or car to look around. If by chance they do have a warrant, they must tell you what they are searching for and be looking for that only. This can sometimes make it difficult for the law enforcement because that gives time for the criminals to hide things, but the government wants to look out for everyone and give everyone equal treatment. Today, there are still tons of cases that seem to violate someone’s fourth amendment rights. One of the more notable ones, the New York stop and frisk program. Under this program, New York police can stop anyone that seems suspicious and frisk them with “probable cause.” The problem with this is that the majority of people being stopped are black and Latino males. More times then not, the people being stopped and frisked have done nothing wrong and are only being stopped because

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