www.shouselaw.com/search-seizure.html 888.327.4652 California criminal defense lawyer says never to consent to police searching your car without a warrant.


When can California police search you, your car and your home? When do they need to have a warrant? If the cops overstep their bounds, what recourse do you have?

We will answer all of these questions, as we explain California's search and seizure laws.

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures. It states, "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."

In the landmark 1961 case Mapp v. Ohio1, the United States Supreme Court held that the Fourth Amendment is applicable to the states as well. This means that all California police, not just federal authorities, are bound by the Fourth Amendment.