Threats to the security of police officers involved in securing drug houses can emanate not only from suspects but from their colleagues who conduct raids negligently. While the courts have generally held that officers can legally detain and search persons apprehended at the scene of a drug raid, the nature of that detention and the manner in which suspects are searched has been the focus of litigation. A landmark decision regarding confiscation of property during a drug raid held that such seizures must be limited to illegal substances and evidence directly related to the commission of a crime. Police officers face several civil liability problems stemming from techniques used to detect drugs, methods used to detect traffickers, probable cause issues, and the need for a verification process to establish that the substance found is actually illegal. The author recommends that officers always obtain a warrant before beginning a drug operation, but warns that the Fourth Amendment also applies to the manner in which these warrants are executed. 32 references