Importance Of The Fourth Amendment

The Fourth Amendment was introduced into the Constitution of the United States as a part of the Bill of Rights on September 5, 1789. It was a direct response to the abuse of the writ of assistance, which was a type of general search warrant used by the government during the American Revolution. (LAWS) The amendment was ratified on December 15, 1791. The Fourth Amendment reads: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. (Shmoop Editorial Team). The general
Many citizens use to believe that if you were pulled over, they were obligated to have their vehicle searched. In our present time, more individuals now know that unless the officer has a probable cause the individual does not have to consent the police officer in searching their personal vehicle. What many may forget or not know is that there are certain exceptions to this amendment that will allow a police officer to search and seize their personal vehicle without their
(Jack Ryan). This is basically saying that when an officer approaches an individual’s vehicle and sees drug paraphernalia or suspicious items that could be related to a crime, the officer than has the ability to search your vehicle for additional evidence related to what provoked them to exercise this warrantless search without your consent. By having drug paraphernalia or other suspicious items in plain view, the individual has now given probable cause needed for the officer to search the vehicle. It is very important to understand that in order for a police officer to exercise this right, the items in question have to be in plain