NCJ Number
238204
Journal
Criminal Justice Studies Volume: 24 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2011 Pages: 329-336
Date Published
December 2011
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article examines the protections provided by the fourth amendment.
Abstract
The U.S. Supreme Court has determined that police officers may enter a home without a warrant when exigent circumstances exist. Lower courts have concluded that the police may not create their own exigent circumstances to justify entry, but have been unable to agree upon a test to determine if the police created an exigency. A lower court in King v. Kentucky found that police officers loudly knocking on a door and announcing 'police' constituted an impermissible police-created exigency. The U.S. Supreme Court in Kentucky v. King disagreed when it determined that lawful conduct of the police outside a home is not the cause of possible unlawful conduct of occupants inside a home. (Published Abstract)