State v. Ricky Wright (073137)

In this case, we consider whether the “third-party intervention” or “private search” doctrine applies to a warrantless search of a home.

The doctrine originally addressed situations like the following: Private actors search an item, discover contraband, and notify law enforcement officers or present the item to them. The police, in turn, replicate the search without first getting a warrant. See, e.g., United States v. Jacobsen, 466 U.S. 109, 104 S.Ct. 1652, 80 L.Ed.2d 85 (1984). Because the original search is carried out by private actors, it does not implicate the Fourth Amendment. And if the…