Case Study 1: The Officer and the Drug Arrest

Due Week 2 and worth 100 points



Officer Williams is an officer with the Richmond police department and has been with the department for five years. He received information that a citizen living in the local housing project was selling drugs. This information was conveyed to Officer Williams by an anonymous caller to the officer on his personal cell phone. Officer Williams immediately went to the housing project and stopped the citizen as he was leaving his apartment. Officer Williams searched the citizen and found drugs.



Note: You may create and / or make all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment.



Write a 1- to 2-page paper in which you:

• Identify the constitutional amendment that would govern Officer Williams' actions. In your own opinion, discuss if you support his actions or not. Justify your answer using the appropriate case law and Supreme Court precedents. 


• Analyze the validity and constitutionality of Officer Williams' actions. 


• Determine whether or not Officer Williams' actions were justified by any of the three (3) ways whereby probable cause can be established. Provide a rationale for your response. 


• Use at least two quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other similar websites do not qualify as academic resources. 


• Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
  
  


• This course requires use of new Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details. 


• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow SWS or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. 


• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. 


• The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
  
  


• Research and analyze procedures governing the process of arrest through trial. 


• Critically debate the constitutional safeguards of key amendments with specific attention to the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 14th Amendments. 


• Describe the difference between searchers, warrantless searches, and stops. 


• Write clearly and concisely about the criminal procedure using proper writing mechanics. 


• Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.
  
  

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