Jefferson Memorial

Why Police Officers Love the “Plain View” Exception

Jamison KoehlerCriminal Procedure, Evidence, Legal Concepts/Principles

  Police officers love the “plain view” exception to the Fourth Amendment requirement for a warrant. It is because this exception is so straightforward and understandable:  I didn’t need a warrant because I saw it with my own eyes.  I immediately recognized it as contraband.  So I grabbed it. All the other exceptions are much more complicated, and the law …