Recently, police in Tigard, Oregon served a search warrant to a local residence. The warrant was executed on Southwest Gentle Woods Drive. However, police and law enforcement officials did not release information about why the warrant was served or what the police were looking for in the search. It is known that the Washington County Tactical Negotiations Team -- also known as the SWAT team -- helped with executing the warrant.
A search warrant is a necessary component to most police searches. Under the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, police have to have a warrant to search a person's home, car or person unless an exception applies. This means that in most cases, the police will have to obtain a search warrant from a court to search an Oregon home.
The search may be a key element to a police criminal investigation. Police may be looking for evidence of a particular crime. This evidence can be crucial to prosecutors who will try to convict someone who has been charged with a crime.
Therefore, when a search warrant is served, people need to understand their legal rights. If the search warrant -- like the one executed in this case -- is defective in some way, then the search may be illegal. Evidence collected in an illegal search usually cannot be used against a person in court and the person's chances of conviction could be significantly lowered.
People facing criminal charges following a search of their person, their car or their home should make sure to raise questions about the legality of the search warrant and subsequent search. If defects exist, a proper criminal defense strategy is vital in protecting the person from penalties.
Source: The Oregonian, "Tigard police serve search warrant on Southwest Gentle Woods Drive," Rebecca Woolington, July 24, 2014
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