State v. Yazzie

VIGIL, Justice.

*185 I. INTRODUCTION

{1} With this opinion we revisit the circumstances under which an officer may make a warrantless entry into a home under the emergency assistance doctrine. Relying on cases interpreting the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, this Court held in Ryon that a warrantless entry is reasonable under the emergency assistance doctrine when (1) law enforcement officers "have reasonable grounds to believe that there is an emergency at hand and an immediate need for assistance for the protection of life or property;" (2) the officers' primary motivation for…