Name: Erica Price
Class: CJUS 200
Date: 07/09/2020
Student ID: 31310833
Being a police officer in this scenario, I have been called out to a noise complaint at a
home. When I arrive, I can hear loud music playing that does violate the noise ordinance in this
community. When I knock on the front door, no one answers. I then proceed around to the rear of
the home to knock on the back door, in hopes of getting an answer. As I walk to the back door, I
notice some marijuana plants. Marijuana is completely illegal in our state. As I am examining the
plants, the resident comes to the door and tells me to get off the property.
At this point, I can confiscate the plants because they are out in the yard, in full view of
the public and easy access to anyone, such as children or animals. My legal justification for
confiscating the marijuana plants is that I have a responsibility as a law enforcement officer to
perform my duty. Due to having a call to service and upon investigating the call and witnessing
the potential marijuana product in plain view allows me to confiscate the plants based on the
plain view doctrine. “God intended for mankind to be self-governing; the free will of humans is
God’s delegated sovereignty.” [ CITATION Gei01 \l 1033 ] The bible says that human justice
will only ever be human. We are not infallible. We are not perfect. Humans make mistakes
sometimes.
Just because I have seen the plants on the porch, does not give me the right to enter the
residence and search the home. Even if when the resident opened the door, I was able to observe
more marijuana plants or other things, I would still wait to get a search warrant. [ CITATION
Sco13 \l 1033 ] I don’t want anything coming back on me or my evidence being deemed illegally
obtained because I didn’t have a search warrant. “…They concern the legality of searches and
seizures and the question of what to do with evidence that is illegally obtained.” [ CITATION
Rob18 \l 1033 ] I will remain on property to ensure that no evidence is destroyed while I call in
for a colleague to obtain a signed warrant before entering the residence.[ CITATION Che20 \l
1033 ] Exodus 23:2 tells us “You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a
lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice.”
References
Bohm, R. M. (2018). Introduction to Criminal Justice. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Boyd, C. D. (2020, July 9). (E. Price, Interviewer)
Geisler, N. &. (2001). Unshakable Foundations. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House.
Kimberly, S. (2013). Retrieved from Legally Speaking: www.primermagazine.com/2013/learn/legally-
speaking-police-are-at-the-door
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