From: Christina Kale

To: Supervising Attorney

Date: 22 April 2011
Re: Con Law Assignment 5: Search Warrant Requirements

QUESTIONS:

1) Will lack of firsthand knowledge prevent Officer Careful from getting a proper warrant?
Since the warrant is based on an unknown informant the reliability of that informant is crucial.
Since Snitch had detailed and firsthand (eyewitness) information of the crime his statement
provides probably cause and will be sufficient for the warrant. Officer Careful must tell the
magistrate that he only has one firsthand knowledgeable source that has not be corroborated.
The detailed information from Snitch will probably outweigh the lack of corroboration.

2) Who has to sign the warrant?

The warrant must be issued by a neutral judicial officer within the warrant’s service jurisdiction
that is not a relative of the officer seeking the warrant.