Criminal Proceedings -- Probable Cause

The Law information site provided by Cornell University defines probable cause as the requirement that is found in the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution that "…must usually be met before police make an arrest" or conduct a search or get a warrant from a judge (www.law.cornell.edu). Most courts find probably cause a justifiable reason to issue a warrant when there is "…a reasonable basis for believing that a crime may have been committed" (www.law.cornell.edu). Moreover, when shown evidence that there is probable cause to believe an arrest should be made -- or a search warrant should be issued -- a judge will in most cases accept the "probably cause" component that is used by law enforcement to fight crime and terrorism.

Probable Cause

The Director of the FBI, Robert Mueller, testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Senate in March, 2011,...
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