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Crime and the Supreme Court: The Impact of the War on Drugs on Judicial Review of Police Investigatory Practices (From Policing and the Law, P 25-42, 2002, Jeffrey T. Walker, ed. -- See NCJ-193352)

NCJ Number
193354
Author(s)
Craig Hemmens
Date Published
2002
Length
18 pages
Annotation
In this chapter, several Supreme Court decisions and rulings are reviewed in cases involving evidence obtained by the police during the course of an investigatory technique in relation to the war on drugs.
Abstract
As investigative practices became increasingly more intrusive, police were receiving the message from the Supreme Court that all was fair in the drug war. As a result, the police continued to push the envelope on intrusive practices in the drug war. The Supreme Court has been seen as having a pronounced tendency in upholding most police investigatory practices, based on the necessity of fighting the drug war. The war on drugs and the get tough on crime movement has produced a Supreme Court reluctant to restrain police. This chapter examines how the Supreme Court has deferred to the police in two investigative practices, the police knock and announce rule, and traffic stop practices in determining potential criminal activity. A review of these practices indicated the Court’s tendency to allow the police to intrude into the privacy rights of citizens. References