Advanced Search Warrants

In today’s rapidly evolving legal landscape, it’s more critical than ever for law enforcement officers to master the intricacies of search warrants. With courts demanding higher levels of justification for searches that were once permitted under “plain view” or “exigent circumstances” doctrines, officers must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to meet these heightened standards.

This comprehensive course is designed to provide officers with a thorough, practical understanding of when search warrants are required and how to properly articulate probable cause. Our expert instructors bring real-world experience to the classroom, ensuring officers walk away with actionable insights that directly impact their performance in the field. This isn’t just theory—it’s the skills and knowledge you need to succeed on the street and in the courtroom.

Key Learning Objectives:

Master the Fourth Amendment: Understand the foundational constitutional principles that govern search and seizure, with a focus on how courts are currently interpreting the law.
Build Ironclad Affidavits: Learn how to craft clear, precise, and defensible affidavits that withstand judicial scrutiny.
Navigate Magistrate Procedures: Understand the role of magistrates and best practices for seeking and securing search warrants.
Perfect Warrant Execution: From pre-entry planning to dynamic entries, learn the legal and tactical considerations for properly executing search warrants.
Search and Seizure Tactics: Develop strategies for searching and seizing property and people in a manner that complies with constitutional requirements.
Arrest and Administrative Warrants: Learn the distinct legal standards for arrest and administrative warrants, and how they intersect with criminal search warrants.
Receipt, Return, and Inventory Compliance: Avoid common pitfalls in documenting seized property, ensuring proper chain-of-custody and legal compliance.
Handle Motions to Suppress: Gain an understanding of suppression issues, the most common challenges from defense attorneys, and how to avoid them through sound warrant practices.

This course doesn’t just teach the “what” and “why” of search warrants—it delivers the “how.” Officers will leave with a step-by-step process for navigating the entire lifecycle of a search warrant, from inception to courtroom defense. The knowledge and skills gained in this course will help officers make sound, defensible decisions under pressure, reducing the likelihood of evidence suppression and civil liability.

Whether you’re a patrol officer seeking to improve your report-writing skills or a detective leading high-stakes investigations, this course will provide you with the confidence and competence to master every aspect of search warrants. Stay ahead of evolving legal standards and become the expert your agency relies on when it’s time to execute the most critical searches.

POST APPROVALS

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STATE	POST APPROVAL
ALABAMA	In-Person, Live Stream
ALASKA	In-Person, Live Stream
ARIZONA	In-Person, Live Stream, On Demand
ARKANSAS	In-Person, Live Stream, On Demand
CALIFORNIA	In-Person
COLORADO	In-Person
CONNECTICUT	In-Person, Live Stream
DELAWARE
FLORIDA	In-Person, Live Stream, On Demand
GEORGIA	In-Person
HAWAII
IDAHO	In-Person, Live Stream
ILLINOIS	In-Person
INDIANA	In-Person, Live Stream
IOWA	In-Person
KANSAS	In-Person, Live Stream
KENTUCKY	In-Person
LOUISANA	In-Person
MAINE	In-Person, Live Stream
MARYLAND	In-Person
MASSACHUSETTS
MICHIGAN	In-Person, Live Stream
MINNESOTA	In-Person, Live Stream, On Demand
MISSISSIPPI	In-Person, Live Stream
MISSOURI	In-Person, Live Stream
MONTANA	In-Person, Live Stream
NEVADA	In-Person, Live Stream
NEBRASKA	In-Person, Live Stream
NEW HAMPSHIRE	In-Person, Live Stream, On Demand
NEW JERSEY	In-Person
NEW MEXICO	In-Person, Live Stream
NEW YORK
NORTH CAROLINA	In-Person
NORTH DAKOTA	In-Person, Live Stream, On Demand
OHIO	In-Person
OKLAHOMA	In-Person, Live Stream, On Demand
OREGON	In-Person
PENNSYLVANIA	In-Person
RHODE ISLAND	In-Person
SOUTH CAROLINA	In-Person, Live Stream
SOUTH DAKOTA	In-Person, Live Stream
TENNESSEE	In-Person
TEXAS	In-Person
UTAH	In-Person
VERMONT	In-Person
VIRGINIA	In-Person
WASHINGTON	In-Person, Live Stream
WEST VIRGINIA	In-Person
WISCONSIN	In-Person, Live Stream
WYOMING	In-Person, Live Stream, On Demand

Course Topics Overview

Course Introduction

1)Instructor introduction.

2) Explain the course objective.

a) When should officers get a warrant, even when they don’t need to?

b) How to write bulletproof affidavits

c) How to execute a search warrant constitutionally

3) Encourage attendees to ask questions and share feedback with other attendees.

4) Explain that certificates will be emailed after the class and each student will be registered in the Blue to Gold University.

5) Go over the three disclaimers:

a) Laws and agency standard operating procedures may be more restrictive. Blue to Gold teaches the federal standard unless otherwise stated. Therefore, students must know their state and local requirements in addition to the federal standard.
b) If students have any doubts about their actions, ask a supervisor or legal advisor.
c) The course is not legal advice, but legal education. Therefore, nothing we teach should be interpreted as legal advice. Check with your agency’s legal advisor for legal advice.

Module One: Fundamentals

1) The Fourth Amendment

2) The Fourth Amendment Protects Four Things: a) People

b) Structures and Curtilage

c) Data

d) Possessions

Module Two: Affidavit

1) Warrant Preference

2) Statutory Authority

3) Pre-Warrant Issues

4) Probable Cause

5) Anticipatory Warrants

6) Place to be Searched

7) Description of Objects

8) Description of Vehicles

9) Description of Persons

10) Description of “All Persons on the Premises”

Module Three: Things to be Seized

1) Legal Rule

2) Description of Contraband

3) Description of Fruits of Crime

4) Plain View Seizure

5) Description of Related Evidence

6) Effects of Inconsistencies or Mistakes

7) Nexus Issues

8) Oath or Affirmation

Module Four: Magistrate

1) Who May Issue

2) When It May be Issued

3) Impartial

4) Rubber Stamp Judges

5) Judge Shopping

Module Five: Arrest Warrants

1) First Party Homes

2) Third Party Homes

Module Six: Executing Warrants

1)Timeliness of Execution

2)Seize First, Search Later

3) Reissuance

4)Absence of Warrant

5) Curtilage

6)Knock and Announce

7)How Long to Wait

8)Useless Gesture

9)Entry by Trick

10) No Knock Warrants

11) Nighttime Service

12) Sneak and Peek Warrant

13) Detaining Occupants

14) Deploying SWAT

Module 7: Post-Warrant Requirements

1) Return, Receipt, and Inventory

2) Four Corners Rule

3) Wrong Address Liability

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All Students receive

Certificate of Completion

Search & Seizure Survival Guide

Meet your Instructors

At Blue to Gold Law Enforcement Training, we specialize in transforming complex legal principles into actionable knowledge for officers. Our team, including experts who have real-world experience as police officers and district attorneys, brings decades of hands-on experience in both the field and classroom. Our mission is clear: to enhance officer safety and community trust through a deep understanding of case law. Our courses are designed to be engaging and relevant, ensuring officers can confidently apply what they learn in real-world situations. By focusing on critical areas such as search and seizure and the limits of police authority, we aim to minimize legal errors and promote effective, ethical policing. Choose Blue to Gold for training that prepares you to make the right decisions when it counts.

support@bluetogold.com

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