| Criminal procedure |
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| Investigating and charging crimes |
| Criminal investigation |
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Arrest warrant · Search warrant |
| Criminal prosecution |
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Statute of limitations · Nolle prosequi |
| Charges and pleas |
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Arraignment · Information · Indictment |
| Related areas of law |
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Criminal defenses |
| Portals |
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Law · Criminal justice |
An exigent circumstance, in the American law of criminal procedure, allows law enforcement to enter a structure without a warrant, or if they have a "knock and announce" warrant, without knocking and waiting for refusal under certain circumstances. A plea bargain (also plea agreement, plea deal or copping a plea) is an agreement in a Criminal case whereby the Prosecutor offers A presentence investigation report ( PSI) is a Legal term referring to the investigation into the history of person convicted of a crime before sentencing to determine The term criminal law, sometimes called penal law, refers to any of various bodies of rules in different Jurisdictions whose common characteristic is the potential The Law of evidence governs the use of Testimony (eg oral or written statements such as an Affidavit) and exhibits (e Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the process that Courts will follow when hearing cases of a civil nature (a " Civil action " as opposed to The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society Criminal procedure refers to the legal process for adjudicating claims that someone has violated Criminal law. Most often the term warrant refers to a specific type of Authorization; a Writ issued by a competent officer usually a Judge or Magistrate Knock-and-announce, in United States Law of Criminal procedure, is an ancient Common-law principle incorporated into the Fourth Amendment It must be a situation where people are in imminent danger, evidence faces imminent destruction or a suspect will escape. The Law of evidence governs the use of Testimony (eg oral or written statements such as an Affidavit) and exhibits (e In the Parlance of Criminal justice, a suspect is a known person suspected of committing a Crime.
Generally, an emergency, a pressing necessity, or a set of circumstances requiring immediate attention or swift action. In the criminal procedure context, exigent circumstances means:
People v. Ramey, 545 P. 2d 1333,1341 (Cal. 1976).
United States v. McConney, 728 F. 2d 1195, 1199 (9th Cir. ), cert. denied, 469 U. S. 824 (1984): "Those circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to believe that entry (or other relevant prompt action) was necessary to prevent physical harm to the officers or other persons, the destruction of relevant evidence, the escape of a suspect, or some other consequence improperly frustrating legitimate law enforcement efforts. "
Exigent circumstances may make a warrantless search constitutional if probable cause exists. The existence of exigent circumstances is a mixed question of law and fact. United States v. Anderson, 154 F. 3d 1225 (10th Cir, 1998) cert. denied 119 S. Ct. 2048 (1999) (citations omitted). There is no absolute test for determining if exigent circumstances exist, but general factors have been identified. These include: clear evidence of probable cause; the seriousness of the offense and likelihood of destruction of evidence; limitations on the search to minimize the intrusion only to preventing destruction of evidence; and clear indications of exigency. In United States Criminal law, probable cause refers to the standard by which a Police officer has the right to make an Arrest, conduct The Law of evidence governs the use of Testimony (eg oral or written statements such as an Affidavit) and exhibits (e
Exigency may be determined by: degree of urgency involved; amount of time needed to get a warrant; whether evidence is about to be removed or destroyed; danger at the site; knowledge of the suspect that police are on his or her trail; and/or ready destructibility of the evidence. Most often the term warrant refers to a specific type of Authorization; a Writ issued by a competent officer usually a Judge or Magistrate United States v. Reed, 935 F. 2d 641 (4th Cir. ), cert. denied, 502 U. S. 960 (1991). In determining the time necessary to obtain a warrant, a telephonic warrant should be considered. As electronic data may be altered or eradicated in seconds, in a factually compelling case the doctrine of exigent circumstances will support a warrantless seizure.
Even in exigent circumstances, while a warrantless seizure may be permitted, a subsequent warrant to search may still be necessary. See Grosenheider, supra and United States v. David, 756 F. Supp. 1385 (D. Nev. 1991).