New rules for Law enforcement and how 2019 is shaping 2020 decisions

Search and seizure law is under attack in the courts and by our Legislature. Over the past few years, the courts have rendered several decisions regarding search and seizure that have had a major impact on law enforcement, particularly affecting those officers on patrol. Starting in 2016, the California Legislature has further changed the scope of law enforcement’s ability to search electronic media devices and service provider records (including Facebook) under the new Electronic Communications Privacy Act. Law enforcement needs to know the changes, get back to the basics and adapt to these changes. This course will focus on the legal challenges that law enforcement faces in the field when it comes to arrests, detentions and searches resulting from a variety of contacts. Writing search warrants will be addressed, along with recent court decisions impacting warrants, their content and the necessity for warrants in certain situations.

Topics Covered:

• Marijuana and new restrictions on searching vehicles
• The Community Caretaking Function and how it does not exist any longer
• Biometrics are a problem in search warrants
• Social Media and its major impact on jury trials
• New Gun Laws