NCJ Number
97548
Date Published
1984
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This police training video cassette, accompanied by an audio cassette, reenacts the incident that led to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Steagald v. United States (1981) and highlights principles of that decision; it ruled that if there are no circumstances requiring immediate action and if no free and voluntary consent is given, law enforcement officers cannot legally enter a third person's house to search for another person but must obtain a warrant for the third person.
Abstract
Pursuant to an arrest warrant for Ricky Lyons, Drug Pursuant to an arrest warrant for Ricky Lyons, Drug Enforcement Administration agents entered Gary Steagald's home to search for Lyons without first obtaining a search warrant. While searching the home, the agents found cocaine and other incriminating evidence but did not find Lyons. Steagald was arrested and indicted on Federal drug charges. He moved to suppress all evidence uncovered during the search of his home on the ground that it was illegally obtained, because the agents had failed to obtain a search warrant; the motion was denied by the district court, and he was convicted. The court of appeals affirmed this decision, but it was overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court, which found that entry into the home was illegal. Accompanying the video is a booklet that highlights the Court's decision, summarizes the incident and case's progress through the courts, and explains the rationale for the Supreme Court's decision.