Essay On Drug Sniffing Dogs

Often, law enforcement officers in Wisconsin, and elsewhere, use drug-sniffing dogs to help locate illicit substances. When these K9 officers are brought onto private property, however, it raises questions about legal searches and seizures. Based on a recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States, using drug dogs on private property without a warrant is considered an unlawful search.

According to the U.S. Courts, the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution protects people from searches and seizures by government officials without reasonable cause. This generally includes searching a person’s home. The exceptions to this rule include situations when the property owner gives his or her consent, there are exigent circumstances or there is probable cause, the search is related to a lawful arrest or there are items in plain

sight.
In the past, law enforcement officers would sometimes bring a drug-sniffing dog with them to a suspect’s door.

If the dog then indicated that there were drugs inside, they would use that hit as probable cause to allow a search. Recently, however, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that authorities must have a search warrant before bringing drug dogs onto private property to look for illegal drugs, including marijuana, and other hidden items. As such, authorities cannot take a dog to a person’s property without a warrant and then use any alerts from the K9 officer as probable cause or evidence to obtain a search warrant.

The ruling came out of a case involving the search of a suspect’s Florida home. A drug-sniffing dog was taken to the property and, through a closed front door, detected marijuana inside the home. Based on that alert, the authorities obtained a warrant to search the residence. The home’s occupant was taken into custody and charged with drug trafficking after a large number of marijuana plants were found inside. The evidence obtained through the search was ultimately thrown out as a result of the Supreme Court’s

ruling.
When law enforcement officers do not follow proper protocols to legally uncover evidence, it may result in wrongful convictions. As such, those facing drug charges may benefit from obtaining legal representation. An attorney may help them establish a strong defense, which may include questioning whether a search and seizure was lawfully conducted.