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CHAPTER 6
POLICE AND LAW
Learning Objectives
2. Explain how police officers seek warrants in order to conduct searches and make arrests.
4. Explain the purpose of the privilege against compelled self-incrimination.
5. Define the exclusionary rule, and identify the situations in which it applies.
Lesson Plan
Correlated to PowerPoints
I. Legal limitations on police investigations
Learning Objective 1
conduct searches of people, their vehicles, and other property.
Bill of Rights embody important, historic American values regarding individual rights in
A. Search and seizure concept
Seizure is defined as when officers use their authority to deprive people of liberty or
property
Media Tool
See Assignments 2
4
PPT 5-7
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Class Discussion/Activity
Have students debate the limits of the plain view doctrine as well as the
plain feel and other senses. Where should the line be drawn?
What If Scenario
3. Reasonable suspicion
B. Use of force and the Fourth Amendment
Pre-punishment or conviction it is 4th
post-conviction it is 8th
C. The concept of arrest
Arrest is a significant intrusion on liberty
Probable cause must support all arrests
D. Warrants and probable cause
Class Discussion/Activity
Divide students into small groups and ask them to debate and define the
the discretion available to police officers in the area of search and seizure.
See Assignments 2-4
See Assignments 2
4
PPT 8
PPT 11
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II. Warrantless searches
Learning Objective II: Explain how police officers seek warrants in order to conduct searches
and make arrests.
Class Discussion/Activity
Have students discuss the variety of warrantless searches that are legal
under case law established by the U. S. Supreme Court. Should the Court
expand warrantless searches into other areas as an aid to homeland
security? Or should the Court make an effort to limit them in order to
safeguard individual rights?
What If Scenario
What if you were a police officer and you could save the life of a life of an
Six kinds of searches can be made without a warrant
A. Special needs beyond the normal purposes of law enforcement
B. Stop and frisk on the streets
Terry v. Ohio (1968) officer may frisk a person that is briefly
detained for questioning
C. Search incident to a lawful arrest
D. Exigent circumstances
When there is an immediate threat to public safety or the risk that
evidence will be destroyed
See Assignments 2-3
PPT 15-
PPT 21
PPT 18-
19
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E. Consent
United States v. Drayton (2002) consent to search is also a waiver of
rights
F. Automobile searches
What If Scenario
What if someone lived permanently in a camper? Under what circumstances
could searches of a home versus searches of automobiles apply? What
Constitutional principles may be involved?
III. Questioning suspects
Learning Objective 3: Describe situations in which police officers can examine property and
conduct searches without obtaining a warrant.
Fifth Amendment is the most relevant to police actions in questioning suspects
A. Miranda rules
Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
Only apply to what are called custodial warnings
Suspects must told four things:
1. They have the right to remain silent
Public safety exception permits police to immediate question a suspect in custody
without warning
Consequences of Miranda
Media Tool
See Assignments 2
4
PPT 22-
24
PPT 29-
34
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Class Discussion/Activity
Divide students into teams to prepare arguments about constitutional
issues affecting police practices. Have two teams square off against each
other to debate the following proposition in front of the rest of the class:
IV. Exclusionary Rule
Learning Objective 4: Explain the purpose of the privilege against compelled self
incrimination.
Learning Objective 5: Define the exclusionary rule, and identify the situations in which it
applies.
The principle that illegally obtained evidence must be excluded from trial
A. The application of the exclusionary rule to the states
Court cases Wolf v. Colorado (1949), the Supreme Court incorporated the
Fourth Amendment
Weeks v. United States (1914) established exclusionary rule in federal prosecutions
Mapp v. Ohio (1961) applied the exclusionary rule to the states
The excl
See Assignments 1, 5
Media Tool
See Assignment 4
PPT 35
59
B. Exceptions to the exclusionary rule
1. Good faith exception established by United States v. Leon (1984)
2. Inevitable discovery rule created by Nix v. Williams (1984)
What If Scenario
Lecture Notes
In theory, few Americans would disagree that police are, and should be, subjected to the
rule of the law. A solid majority of Americans are supportive of the police and believe that they
should have the tools and resources to protect society. Americans do disagree, however, at
which point the law should be applied to police. Students must understand that police power is
vital in a civilized society, but that power must be properly balanced against the equally
important rights of individual liberties. The struggle to find the proper balance is an evolving
process.
Search and seizure form the core of police power. Seizure involves actions as simple as
confiscation of illegal items and substances to the arrest and detention of individuals. The U. S.
The exclusionary rule, as discussed in the textbook, is a controversial yet important
concept. In the infrequent but inevitable event of corruption or malice by police in searching and
seizing evidence, are the police exempt from responsibility? The courts have ruled that such
possibly guilty person may be released. Is this the only way to control careless or malicious
police officers?
See Assignment 4
See Assignments 4
PPT 36
60
Key Terms
affidavit – Written statement of fact, supported by oath or affirmation, submitted to judicial
officers to fulfill the requirements of probable cause for obtaining a warrant. (p. 192)
consent search – A permissible warrantless search of a person, vehicle, home, or other location
based on a person with proper authority or the reasonable appearance of proper authority
voluntarily granting permission for the search to take place. (p. 199)
exclusionary rule – The principle that illegally obtained evidence must be excluded from trial.
(p. 209)
– Supreme Court ruling that improperly obtained evidence can be
used when it would later have been inevitably discovered by the police. (p. 211)
inventory search
meaning that it is in police custody so that police can make a record of the items contained in
the vehicle. (p. 203)
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– Exception to Miranda requirements that permits police to
immediately question a suspect in custody without providing any warnings, when public safety
would be jeopardized by their taking the time to supply the warnings. (p. 205)
search
a manner that intrudes on reasonable expectations of privacy (p. 189)
seizures – Situations in which police officers use their authority to deprive people of their liberty
stop
duration that typically lasts less than one hour and only rarely extends for as long as several
hours. (p. 190)
Chimel v. California (1969) – Chimel v. California (1969) Supreme Court decision that
endorsed warrantless searches for weapons and evidence in the immediate vicinity of people who
are lawfully arrested. (p. 198)
Illinois v. Gates (1983) – Illinois v. Gates (1983) U.S. Supreme Court decision that established
the flexible totality of circumstances test for determining the existence of the probable cause
needed for obtaining a search warrant. (p. 192)
Mapp v. Ohio (1961) – Supreme Court decision that applied the exclusionary rule as the remedy
for improper searches by state and local officials. (p. 210)
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Nix v. Williams (1984) – Legal decision in which the Supreme Court c
Tennessee v. Garner (1985) – Deadly force may not be used against an unarmed and fleeing
suspect unless necessary to prevent the escape and unless the officer has probable cause to
believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious injury to the officers or
others (p. 190)
Terry v. Ohio (1968) –
frisk suspects on the streets when there is reasonable suspicion that they are armed and involved
in criminal activity. (p. 196)
Assignments
1. Research the history of the precedents leading the historical and foundational ruling by the
2. Research the context of Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders (2012) and the U.S.
ruling compare with your expectations or views? [LO3]
3.
and a stop-and-frisk search. [LO1 and LO2]
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5. Break students into groups. Each group should write down the variety of warrantless searches that
6. After completing the Media Tool on the Exclusionary Rule, have students research the