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Fourth Amendment Essay

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Fourth Amendment

Ashley J. Peterson

Constitutional Law
Steve Areges
Kaplan University
1/13/2010

Fourth Amendment
The Fourth Amendment is important not only to the citizens but for our law enforcement as well. The Fourth Amendment is still evolving today, as common and statutory laws change so does our Fourth Amendment. This amendment has come a long way and will continue to serve us in our best interests for as long as we live, whether we agree of disagree.
“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 …show more content…

If someone is hanging around a well known crime area then just about everyone there is going to receive some sort of attention and the police officers will probably keep an eye on them to see if they are up to something. Police officers go off what they see and hear there isn’t any other way to put that. (Harr, & Hess, pp. 181, 2008).
Once someone reaches a level of reasonable suspicion, police officers are allowed to stop and frisk the suspects. If they are still thought to be participating in illegal activity it becomes probable cause and then the suspect will be arrested and interrogated. Due to Miranda rights people have the opportunity to speak with an attorney before being questioned and may also have one present while being questioned.
In some cases, such as murder there are some people that have been wrongfully accused. Due to wrongful practices, people have been convicted of circumstantial evidence. ``DNA is a very powerful tool . . . but it is circumstantial evidence like other pieces of circumstantial evidence and a proper investigation still has to take place,'' she said. (Matthew, n.d.).
Circumstantial evidence is probably one of the biggest ethical concerns when people are being convicted of crimes. Circumstantial evidence is: “Evidence not bearing directly on the fact in dispute but on various attendant circumstances from which the judge or jury might infer the occurrence of the fact in dispute”. (Dictionay.com, 2010). Many

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