Homework #2
Abisola Animasahun
Criminal Justice 254
Professor Hahn
Towson University
3/25/2018
I choose to discuss the importance of our 4th amendment rights. The 4th amendment is “freedom from unreasonable search and seizures.” This amendment is very important because it denies police officers the right to search our houses and our property if they do not have a warrant. Even if they have a “mere suspicion, probable cause or good faith feeling” they are not allowed to search the premises or our car, without a warrant even though it is shown that most officers do anyways. The most important of all this is that the police do not have the right to take anything into their custody without a warrant or else they are violating our 4th amendment.
A perfect example is the case of Korryn Gaines. A 23 year old woman lost her life over a misdemeanor traffic violation that resulted in a police officer shooting her dead in her home without the authorization to be inside that home. The fact that the officer did not have search warrant went against Gaines 4th amendment right. According to ThinkProgress Attorney J. Wyndal Gordon stated:
“According to Gordon, the officers entered Gaines’ home because of outstanding warrants for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and several traffic violations. Police knocked on the door, and after claiming they heard voices but no answer, they obtained a key from the landlord.Gordon said Wednesday that the arrest warrant did not allow officers to get the key and enter or search the apartment on their own.“They never had a search warrant, and that’s a big deal in this case,” Gordon said.”
Not having a search warrant in the case of Korryn Gaines really could have been the difference between life and death. The police had no right to even search her apartment, and to make Gaines cause better police had no consent to enter, or any exigent circumstances. Gaines continued to remain silent, which is included under her rights! Sadly she en...
