Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Adios 4th Amendment!

From your "Civics" class in High School, you should recall the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution...
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.


Well, that's just that old useless paper that meant something generations ago. Today, the Kops don't require Search Warrants or even probable cause.
(for our own good, certainly)


http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/oakland-police-search-without-warrants/Content?oid=1878972

Oakland Police Search Without Warrants
In a little-known city program that critics say may be unconstitutional, cops join fire and building inspectors as they enter homes without a warrant and then arrest residents if they find anything illegal.
By Alex Weber

On a gloomy recent morning in West Oakland, tenants at the David Gray Building — or, Off-Ramp Studios, as everyone who lives there calls it — stood in the hallways outside their lofts. They gathered around their doors in nervous clusters and spoke in hushed tones, wondering aloud whether they should head to work or stay and observe while two Oakland police officers, two building services code enforcers, a fire inspector, and three property management representatives entered all of their units one by one.

Traditionally the entire procedure would have required a search warrant. But on this day, the group of cops and city officials were operating under a little-known Oakland city program, called "SMART" — Specialized Multi-Agency Response Team — that some legal experts say may be unconstitutional. That's because they enter people's homes without consent or a warrant.

continued at the link

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