The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a number of interesting Fourth Amendment cases. Of particular interest is a case questioning police use of drug-sniffing dogs to detect contraband in a defendant’s home, and another case questioning whether police may detain an individual who has left a premises about to be searched pursuant to a valid warrant.
The Nose Knows
Acting on a tip, Miami police officers went to the home of Joelis Jardines with Franky, a chocolate Labrador retriever trained to detect the scent of marijuana. Franky was put on an extended leash and allowed to walk up to Jardines’ porch, where he alerted to the presence of marijuana inside the house. The police officers presented this evidence to a magistrate judge, who promptly granted a search warrant. Police executed the warrant and discovered several marijuana plants growing within the house.
