A police search of your home could be carried out during a criminal investigation. They may be looking for evidence in the case against you.
That said, the police are not given free rein to conduct a search whenever they want simply because they are in a position of authority. Even if they believe you have broken the law, there are restrictions regarding property searches. Below are three ways they may be able to enter your home.
By asking for your consent
First and foremost, the police always have the option to ask for your consent to come inside and take a look around. At this point, it is fully up to you to decide if you want to give them consent or not, but they cannot force you to do so.
By getting a search warrant
Without consent, the next step for the police is typically to go to a judge, present probable cause, and get a search warrant. This will tell them that they can search your property, and may include details like the type of evidence they are looking for, when they can execute that search warrant, and what part of the property to search. If they have a proper warrant, they no longer need your consent.
In an emergency
Finally, some emergency situations allow the police to enter a person’s home, even if they have not gotten consent or gone through the proper steps to get a search warrant. An emergency may take too long to address through normal procedures. For instance, if they are pursuing a suspect who runs into a house, they often do not have to get a warrant to enter and continue that pursuit.
Do you think that the police may have conducted an illegal search while investigating you for criminal activity? That could have a major impact on your case, so make sure you know about all of your legal options.