The Fourth Amendment is a law in the United States Constitution that protects the citizens of the country from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government (Hall, 2015). This, however, does not guarantee an individual from all searches and seizures, but only those considered unreasonable by the law. A crucial point is that the extent of protection by the fourth amendment depends on the location where the search or seizure happened. The issue of automobile warrantless searches has raised the interest of various concerned parties, with each side arguing in support of its interests. The United States Supreme Court has detailed cases where warrantless searches of vehicles are permitted, despite the existence of the fourth amendment. One such case is where there is a robust probable cause to believe that a car contains evidence of criminal activity. In this case, an officer may lawfully stop and search the car without needing a warrant. A point to note is that the officer is only legally allowed to search areas in the automobile where the suspected evidence might be found (United States Courts, 2019). Additionally, in cases where it is not legally allowed to search a given premise, police officers may stop vehicles accessing that premise when there is probable cause that a crime is underway or has already happened. Similarly, to the first case, a warrant is also not required. Lastly, in cases where the officer has reasonable suspicion that a traffic violation has occurred or criminal activity is in progress, he or she is allowed to stop the car without needing a warrant and search it. Carroll vs. the United States in 1925 forms a fundamental part of automobile privacy. The case laid the foundation for warrantless vehicle searches provided there was suspicion by an officer of the law. The Supreme Court upheld this motion as when it comes to vehicles; their mobility can affect legal proceedings of having to request a warrant since they can easily maneuver to a different jurisdiction where the warranty will be void (Carroll v. the United States, 1925).
References
Carroll v. United States , 267 U.S. 132, 45 S. Ct. 280, 69 L. Ed. 543 (1925).
Hall, D. (2015). Criminal law and procedure . New York: Cengage learning.
United States Courts. (2019). What Does the Fourth Amendment Mean? Retrieved from https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational- outreach/activity-resources/what-does-0 .
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