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Posts Tagged ‘Fourth Amendment’
Arizona DUI Checkpoints
Normally, a police officer needs a reason to stop your car and start a DUI investigation. This is not the case at DUI checkpoints. A few states have found that DUI checkpoints are unconstitutional, but the U.S. Supreme Court has determined that they are constitutional if done properly and a majority of the states, including…
Read MoreHow The Government Can Use Your Cell Phone Against You
Almost everyone uses a cell phone these days and a majority of these are “smartphones”. For most of us, it’s hard to imagine living without them. Not only do these devices provide us with phone service wherever we go, but they allow us uninterrupted access to text messaging, email, Facebook, a camera, and a whole…
Read MoreCan The Police Use GPS Tracking Devices?
Technological advances have changed our lives drastically over the past two or three decades. New technology has provided additional tools for law enforcement, but it also threatens our privacy. A global positioning system (GPS) tracking device, for instance, allows the police to track a person’s precise location via computer over a virtually indefinite period of…
Read MoreWhen Can Police Use Drug Dogs?
Trained detection dogs are often used by police to detect different types of contraband, including drugs, currency, and even human beings, due to their highly developed sense of smell. These dogs are regularly used at airports, ports of entry, and border checkpoints, but they are also commonly deployed to search vehicles at traffic stops and…
Read MoreCan Police Search Your Home Without A Warrant?
People have a greater expectation of privacy in their homes than in their cars. Thus, the Fourth Amendment generally requires police to get a warrant before entering or searching a house. This protection applies to anyone living in a home, whether they are homeowners, renters, or even overnight guests. If the police search without a…
Read MoreWhen Can Police Search Your Car?
We all expect some degree of privacy, even while driving around in public. In fact, the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides us all with the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Generally, this means that police must obtain a warrant before they conduct a search. However, there are all…
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