Eric Wetlaufer

A search warrant refers to an order issued by a court judge or magistrate effectively authorizing police officers to search a person, vehicle, or given location for specific objects or materials. Search warrants are given when probable cause is established and are meant to look for evidence of a crime or contraband. Image source: kwqc.com Because search warrants must abide by the rule of law and people’s right to privacy, officers who have not been issued one cannot conduct a search. The common exception where this may be allowed is when officers are in hot pursuit of a criminal who is on the run from the crime scene and has entered a particular home or property. Image source: theregister.co.uk To obtain a search warrant, police officers often convince a judge by providing written affidavits, done under oath and based on thorough police observations and reports from informants. Again, if the judge believes that the affidavits make for probable cause, he or she will issue a...

Shoplifting on the surface may look nothing more like a minor offense that could land someone in jail for a few days at most.   However, statistics show that shoplifting is anything but trivial , with it being one of the most common crimes in the United States. Image source: safesinternational.com Reports show that the damage done by shoplifting has gone over $30 billion.   This is the entire loss experienced by businesses that have fallen victim to shoplifting.   In fact, on an average, stores have reported that an average of 2.5 percent of their products are stolen.   A few businesses have even closed down after experiencing rampant shoplifting. Image source: pgsservices.ca It has been estimated the act has been committed between 300 to 400 million times a year, which would mean nearly a million times a day all over the country.   While this number might seem too big to comprehend, it should be noted that this includes incidents of obje...