Search & Seizure
Webquest
By Robert W. Lieberman
Grace Dodge Vocational High
School
Introduction:
Police officers need to know
what to do and what not to do when they search and seize property from the
public. If the police perform illegal
searches and seizures then the Exclusionary Rule will be applied to the
illegally seized evidence. The
Exclusionary Rule came from a Supreme Court case called Mapp
v. Ohio. Click the blue hyperlink
and check out this case.
The Exclusionary Rule states
that evidence that is illegally seized will not be admissible in court at
trial. The Exclusionary Rule protects
the rights of citizens to be safe in their homes and property from over-zealous
police officers. On the other hand, the
Exclusionary Rule allows guilty criminal defendants to go free if their rights
have been violated.
What we need are Police
Officers properly trained in executing proper Searches & Seizures so the
evidence will be admitted into court, and so that guilty criminal defendants
will not be set free.
When the US
Supreme Court states its opinion about a case, it becomes the Law of the
Land. Every court in the United
States has to follow the rulings
of the US
Supreme Court. By studying US Supreme Court cases, you learn the rules for
Search & Seizure that police departments throughout the United
States must follow.
Check out Search & Seizure
Cases to see the various Supreme Court Cases that affect the way police
officers should act.
Task:
You are a trainer of new
police recruits at the Lieberman
Police
Training
Academy
in Robert,
New York. You
will be assigned one Supreme Court Search and Seizure case to analyze. After analyzing your case, you will create a
Powerpoint presentation that you will present to the new recruits in 2
weeks.
Process:
1. First you will divide up into 6 groups of
4 students.
2. Individuals in your group will assume all
of the following roles:
i. Leader – In overall charge of
the group. Coordinates work with teacher and group. Presents Powerpoint presentation to new
police recruits.
ii.
Secretary – Responsible for
maintaining all of the paperwork required for the group project.
iii.
Facilitator – Responsible for
making sure the team will have adequate access to computers and other materials
required for group work.
iv.
Technical leader – Each team
will have at least one member who is computer literate.
3. Each group should Brief one of the following
cases and create Powerpoint presentation of that brief including the Visual of
the case.
Group # 1 - New
York v. Quarles
Group # 2 - New
Jersey v. T.L.O.
Group # 3 - Florida v. Riley
Group # 4 - Florida v. Jimeno
Group # 5 - Florida v. Bostick
Group # 6 - Minnesota v. Dickerson
4.
When you brief the case make in the Powerpoint
presentation create separate slides for:
a)
The Facts – 2 Slides minimum - Whatwas the important
information that happened? State the
facts in your own words.
b)
The Visual - 4 Slides – (One slide for each box in
the visual comic) - Copy the CompuLEGAL visual for the case.
c)
The Issue - 1 Slide - What is
the problem here that the Supreme Court is trying to answer? Ask a yes or no question.
d)
Decision - 1 Slide - What was the answer to the
Issue? Yes or No.
e)
Reasoning – 2 Slide Minimum – Why did the Supreme
Court answer the Issue the way that it did?
f)
Your Recommendations to the New Recruits based on
this case. 2 Slide Minimum - What should
the police do and not do according to the Supreme Court?
5.
That is a 12 Slide Minimum for your Powerpoint
presentation.
6.
Make your slides visually interesting so that the new
police recruits will enjoy learning about the proper procedures for Search and
Seizure Case.
7.
The groups will each have 5 minutes to make their
presentation, two weeks from today. Good
Luck!!!
Resources:
The Cases
Group # 1 - New York v. Quarles
Group # 2 - New Jersey v. T.L.O.
Group # 3 - Florida v. Riley
Group # 4 - Florida v. Jimeno
Group # 5 - Florida v. Bostick
Group # 6 - Minnesota v. Dickerson
This is a
website that will train you how to use Powerpoint if you do not already know
how. PowerPoint Classroom
Evaluation:
Slide sets A – F
will be worth 15 % of your groups grade for this project (total 90%). The presenter’s presentation skills will be
worth 10 % of this project. Total = 100
%.
By completing this
project you will have met the following New York State Learning
Standards.
a)
English Learning Standards:
STANDARD
3
Students will read, write, listen, and speak
for critical analysis and evaluation.
As listeners and readers, students will
analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a
variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they
will present, in oral
and written language and from a variety
of perspectives, their opinions and
judgments on
experiences, ideas, information and
issues.
STANDARD 4
Students will read, write, listen, a speak for social
interaction.
Students will use
oral and written language for effective social communication with a wide
variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social
communications of others to
enrich their understanding of people and their views.
b) Social Studies
Standards:
Standard 5.2 Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Key Idea 2: The state and federal governments established by
the Constitutions of the United States and the State of New York embody basic
civic values (such as justice, honesty, self-discipline, due process, equality,
majority rule with respect for minority rights, and respect for self, others, and
property), principles, and practices and establish a system of shared and
limited government. (Adapted from The National Standards for Civics and
Government, 1994)
Standard 5.3:
Key Idea 3: Central to civics and citizenship is an understanding
of the roles of the citizen within American constitutional democracy and the
scope of a citizen’s rights and responsibilities.
Standard 5.4:
Key Idea 4: The study of civics
and citizenship requires the ability to probe ideas and assumptions, ask and
answer analytical questions, take a skeptical attitude toward
questionable arguments,
evaluate evidence, formulate rational conclusions, and develop and refine
participatory skills.
Conclusion:
Creating interesting PowerPoint
presentations is a wonderful skill to possess.
You will be a better trainer of police officers if you can inspire and
motivate them. Search and Seizure cases are
very important to know to put guilty criminals behind bars. Thank you.