Thermal Imager Dbq Essay

The Limitations of the Fourth Amendment include hot pursuit, public safety, danger of loss of evidence, and permission of subject. The government did not go too far because the thermal imager did not show home activity, the evidence detected was exposed to the public view, and there could have been a loss of evidence.

Thermal imagers do not expose heat or activities within a building.A thermal imager in this case was used specifically for detecting heat loss on the exterior of the home. “...it did not invade or reveal detailed activities (or, indeed, any activities) within the home itself.”(Document E).The Fourth Amendment protects your person and home of unreasonable searches and seizures. In the DLK case using technology to search without a warrant is not a protected right of the Fourth Amendment. “Thermal imagers do not function to read ‘heat signatures’ of persons and objects within a building.”(Document E). Using new technology cannot completely

A thermal imager is an example of this kind of technology. “...instead scanned a surface exposed to public view in order to detect the physical fact of relative heat [escape].” (Document E). Heat escaping from a building has been exposed to public giving the government every right to use a thermal imager. “Heat waves ...enter the public domain if and when they have leave a building.” (Document F). Vented heat from the artificial lights is being exposed to the air in the public which could relate to the public safety issue.”Sometimes, the needs of law enforcement to be effective override privacy concerns. Four examples of this are: hot pursuit, public safety, danger of loss of evidence, and permission of the suspect..” (Background Essay). Marijuana plants could be destroyed or moved causing the evidence of a committed crime to be lost. Any Evidence exposed to public can be searched without violating the Fourth Amendment