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Criminal Law

Rules on Search and Seizure

Does the law permit the police to search a home or items in it?

The police normally cannot search your home unless they have a warrant. The warrant must specify what the police are looking for and at what location they are likely to find it. The law limits the search to areas where it is reasonable to believe the item might be. You cannot look for a bazooka in a breadbox—it is not sensible to look for a large item in a container too small to hold it.

>>Do the police have the right to tap a telephone?
>>Do wiretaps have to be approved in advance?
>>May the police search you without a warrant?
>>Do the police have the right to stop and frisk you?
>>Can the police seize what they find in a frisk?
>>Does the law permit the police to search a home or items in it?
>>Can the police ever search a home without a warrant?
>>What happens if a search is not valid?


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