Chapter 3 Forensic science

Vocabulary-style study flashcards for arrest procedures, jurisdiction, search rules, law enforcement seals, and key Supreme Court cases on interrogation and constitutional rights.

Arrest

The act of taking a law violator into custody, typically involving physical restraint devices such as handcuffs or a cage.

Private Person Arrest

An arrest originating from English Common Law, presently performed mostly by private security guards when detaining a suspect for shoplifting or petty crimes.

Prudent Person Test

A standard used to determine probable cause by assessing whether a reasonable/prudent person provided with the facts would agree to the actions taken during an arrest.

Peace Officers

Law enforcement officers employed by the US, state, county, or city who are sworn to uphold the laws of their employing agency.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

A federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice with jurisdiction over all U.S. territories, created to investigate political and business corruption as well as bank robberies, interstate kidnapping, and organized crime.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office

A county-level law enforcement agency in California headed by sheriff deputies who hold jurisdiction within county borders.

Murrieta Police Department

A municipal city police agency serving the city of Murrieta.

Hemet Police Department

A municipal city police department established in 1910 serving the city of Hemet.

Department of Defense (DoD)

A federal executive department of the United States government responsible for military affairs and national defense law enforcement agencies.

California Highway Patrol (CHP)

A state law enforcement agency in California responsible for state highway safety and enforcement across state borders.

California Department of Justice

The state executive department led by the Office of the Attorney General responsible for law enforcement, legal services, and public justice in California.

Riverside County Sheriff's Office

A county law enforcement agency operating within Riverside County, California.

Arrest Warrant

A document issued by a magistrate requiring probable cause, detailing the court, suspect name/descriptors, offense description, issuance date, and a command to bring the suspect before a judicial officer.

Telephonic Warrant

An arrest warrant authorized by a judge over the phone after an officer explains the need to a prosecuting attorney, directing the officer to fill out the form and print the judge's name.

Chimel Rule

A precedent from Chimel v. California (1969) ruling that officers making an in-home arrest may only search the arrestee's immediate reaching area incident to arrest, not the entire house without a search warrant.

Arizona v. Gant (2009)

A ruling stating that law enforcement officers may search a motor vehicle's passenger compartment incident to arrest only if the arrestee is within reaching distance at the time of search or it is reasonable to believe the vehicle contains evidence of the offense of arrest.

Uniform Act of Fresh Pursuit

A legal provision adopted by most states allowing officers in hot pursuit of a fleeing felon (moral turpitude offender) to cross territorial and state boundaries to make an arrest.

Moral Turpitudes

Behaviors considered vile, depraved, and contrary to public justice, modesty, or good morals, including murder, rape, assault, fraud, theft, and drug crimes.

US Marshals

The only federal peace officers of the U.S. government, housed within the Department of Justice.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

A federal department created after September 11, 2001, tasked with preventing terrorist attacks, reducing national vulnerability, and minimizing damage from attacks.

Diplomatic Immunity

A status freeing foreign diplomatic officers, staff, family, and servants from local jurisdiction, exempting them from arrest or detention except in cases of grave crime.

Consul Immunity

A limited form of official immunity that applies solely to consul members (excluding family members) who can still be arrested for law violations.

Legislative Immunity

A constitutional immunity protecting lawmakers from arrest in civil matters, though they remain subject to arrest for criminal offenses.

Booking

The administrative process following arrest where details are entered into official law enforcement records, fingerprints and photographs are taken, bail is posted or arranged, and additional searches occur.

Miranda Rights

A set of constitutional warnings given to suspects in custody prior to interrogation regarding their right to remain silent and right to legal counsel.

Brown v. Mississippi (1936)

A Supreme Court case ruling that extracting confessions through physical force violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Ashcraft v. Tennessee (1944)

A Supreme Court decision ruling that psychologically coerced confessions are not voluntary and are inadmissible in court.

New York v. Quarles (1984)

A Supreme Court ruling establishing a public safety exception that allows officers to ask questions before reading Miranda rights if immediate public safety is threatened.

Illinois v. Perkins (1990)

A Supreme Court case holding that an undercover police officer posing as an inmate in a cell block is not required to give Miranda warnings before questioning a suspect.

Minnick v. Mississippi (1990)

A case establishing that once an accused invokes their right to counsel, police interrogation cannot resume without an attorney present unless initiated by the suspect.

Missouri v. Seibert (2004)

A Supreme Court ruling striking down 'question-first' interrogation tactics where police elicit an un-Mirandized confession before administering warnings to re-question the suspect.

Berghuis v. Thompkins (2010)

A Supreme Court ruling holding that a suspect's waiver of Miranda rights does not need to be explicit and may be implied by their conduct.

Citation

A written notice (or summons) issued to a violator ordering them to appear in court at a specified time, typically for infractions or traffic offenses.

Summons

A formal order issued directly by a judge commanding an accused individual to appear in court at a specified date and time.