The Amendment Of The United States Constitution - 1323 Words

The 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution was added as part of the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791. It deals with protecting people from the searching of their homes and private property without properly executed search warrants. The 4th Amendment specifically states: â€Å"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.† Our founders believed that freedom from government intrusion into one’s home was a natural right, one granted from God. During†¦show more content†¦These actions by the British Crown would be one the precipitating factors leading to the American Revolution and the eventual forming of our Constitution. When the 4th Amendment became part of the Constitution, it was only applied to the federal government. It was later a applied to the states through the Due process clause of the 14th Amendment. There are many exceptions to the 4th Amendment right to have a proper search warrant issued before a search or seizure of private property can be conducted. There are a variety of exceptions but there are two in particular that most people are affected by. A police officer may conduct a pat down search on someone if that officer has observed someone engaging in behavior that would give the officer reasonable, articulable suspicion that a crime has or is being committed. The second is if a police officer sees someone committing a crime, or believes that he or she has probable cause to suspect someone has committed a crime, the officer may arrest the suspect without a warrant. II. Civil Forfeiture Civil Forfeiture is a process by which the government can take cash, cars, homes, and other property suspected of being involved in criminal activity. With civil forfeiture, the property owner doesn t have to be charged or convicted of a crime on order for him or her to permanently lose their property; it is considered one of the greatest threats to property rights in the nation today. In 42 states, law enforcement gets to