Fourth Amendment Rights, Essay Example

The Fourth Amendment in the U.S. Constitution awards citizens with rights of property and privacy.  This amendment directly covers the topic of search, seizure and states that all individuals should be provided a “reasonable expectation of privacy” by the government.  First of all, the most important example of fourth amendment rights comes from the issue of searching a citizen’s property.  This amendment ensures that all individuals are able to refuse to allow government officials to search property if the officials do not have documentation to show that there is reasonable cause to believe that the individual has committed a crime.  This documentation comes in the form of a warrant.  Similarly, just as a warrant is required for searching private property, the government officials must also have documentation that grants permission for legal purposes to seize property.  Government officials may not seize any personal property without reasonable cause that a crime has occurred while still showing a warrant that has been signed by legal officials.

Finally, this amendment is constantly debated based on the phrase “reasonable expectation of privacy.”  The purpose of this phrase is to ensure that all citizens receive considerate and cordial interaction with government officials where property and privacy is considered.  For instance, police officials may not harass or infringe upon personal privacy.  However, if officials are given a reason for privacy to be infringed by the accused parties, then all privacy rights are voided in lieu of legal proceedings.