Criminal Justice - 4th Amendment

Arrest

To take a person suspected of a crime into custody.

Arrest Warrant

A court-ordered document authorizing the police to arrest an individual on a specific charge.

Probable cause

A reasonable belief, known personally or through reliable sources, that a person has committed a crime.

Reasonable Suspicion

Evidence that justifies an officer in stopping and questioning an individual believed to be involved in criminal activity; based on less evidence than probable cause but more than a mere hunch.

Search

An exploratory investigation by a government agent, conducted usually for the purpose of finding evidence of unlawful activity or guilt (intruded on an individual's reasonable expectation of privacy)

Search Warrant

A court order issued by a judge or magistrate (judicial officer), giving the police power to search a person or enter a building to search for and seize items related to a crime.

Seizure

“The talking” by law enforcement officers of potential evidence in a criminal case. Several meanings: 1) A person has been seized when their freedom to move freely has been curtailed (a detention and an arrest is a seizure). 2) A seizure is also taking of any property from the individual or from their dominion and control. 3) A person's conversation is considered property, so wiretapping constitutes a seizure.

Affiant

The person who makes and subscribes (signing an agreement). An affidavit.