NCJ Number
134394
Date Published
1991
Length
129 pages
Annotation
Police officers can ensure their on-the-scene compliance with the most recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on criminal law and procedure with this 1992-1993 edition of the Law Officer's Pocket Manual.
Abstract
Written in nontechnical language, the manual describes proper police procedures. Real-life examples illustrate each situation for reliable on-the-scene guidance. Topics covered in the manual include custodial questioning of a suspect who has asked for counsel, seizure as applied to the pursuit of fleeing persons, the scope of a search pursuant to consent, fourth amendment rules for searching containers found in vehicles, the timing of procedures following warrantless arrests, and questioning indicted defendants about still-uncharged crimes. These and other topics are incorporated under nine manual headings: suspect confrontation, stop and frisk, in-field or on-the-scene identification, arrest, search incident to arrest, interrogation, search and seizure, surveillance and preservation of evidence, and entrapment. The purpose of the manual is to provide law enforcement personnel with basic operational knowledge of the impact of constitutional law on police practices. It is not a guide to police techniques and is not intended to supplant or modify local and departmental regulations promulgated to implement police practice decisions handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court.