Do not assume that you must allow police officers into your home. As an American citizen, you do have a right to privacy in your own house. You can decide who is allowed to enter your property.
That said, it is important to be aware of the different ways that the police can enter your house and when these may apply. Let’s take a look at the three main examples.
With your consent
To begin with, you may simply decide to give them consent. Maybe an officer knocks on the door and asks to come in and have a look around, and you don’t mind if they search. You can allow them inside, but they can’t force their way in without your consent.
In an emergency
Next, a police officer may argue that there’s an emergency, so they have to enter the property quickly. An example of this could be if an armed suspect runs into the house. The officer may think that people in the building are in danger and pursue the suspect.
With a search warrant
Finally, police do have the option to go to court and get a search warrant. This can authorize them to come onto the property, even without the homeowner’s consent. But search warrants have restrictions regarding when they can be executed, what parts of the property the search can include, what evidence the police are looking for and things of this nature.
In a criminal case, the way that the police enter a property to conduct a search and gather evidence is incredibly important. Those who have been arrested need to know what defense options they have.
