And now for 4…search warrants!

Amendment IV

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

What it means:  No person property or residence shall be searched without a warrant, and the warrant shall not be issued without through the legal process, where there WILL be evidence presented supporting the need for the search, the place of the search, and the things that may be taken.

Today:  Wiretapping, blanket warrants, at-need searches…we’re on a slippery slope.  At a federal level, they seem to have the idea that wire tapping ISN’T an invasion of privacy, nor is skimming e-mails.  Which might be true, since it is a non-physical form of property.  A federal agent may search your vehicle at security check points as they are opt-in locations…you don’t HAVE to go through them, after all.  Also, should a person be deemed as acting suspiciously, they may ask if they can search you.  Refusing, of course, may be a violation that may result in being searched.  After all, if you have nothing to hide, there is no reason to not wish to be searched, right?  Of course, being caught in the commission of a crime may also result in a search, as they now have due cause, so legally refusing to be searched can cause a lot more problems as you get cited for window tint color being 1 point off in tint just so they can search you…oh, and inviting an officer into your house gives them permission to be snoopy and they can ALWAYS look through your car windows.

By the way, according to my sources, blanket search warrants are warrants where certain details are to be filled in later or lack certain details, giving a lot more leeway to the investigators.  Not really legal, so they are rarely used.