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Essay / The Pros and Cons of the Fourth Amendment - 1234
On December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights was ratified to limit the power of government, but no one could have predicted how the world would change and how the amendments would change . be tested. Since the Bill of Rights was written, the world has changed dramatically. With technological advances, which the founders of the Constitution could never have predicted, many amendments are no longer applied in the same way as they were when they were written. The Fourth Amendment in particular has changed a lot. Modern forms of communication have challenged the Fourth Amendment and government responses. Since the ratification of the Bill of Rights, the world has seen constant change and so all amendments have been tested and questioned. Many people, in the past and today, say that "a man's house is his castle" and therefore that man has the right to protect his house and its belongings. This protection applies to anyone wishing to cause harm to person or property. It also extends to law enforcement and government, not allowing them to carry out unreasonable searches and seizures. The scope of unreasonable searches and seizures ranges from unwarranted arrests that appear to occur randomly to warrantless searches of private property. Searches on private property will only be permitted if reasonable. David Riley was arrested on August 22, 2009 for driving with expired tags. Riley's license was suspended so the car had to be impounded. During impoundment, the car was searched and its contents cataloged. During a search of the car, police found two firearms and added the charge of carrying a firearm to Riley's offense. Riley also had her cell phone. The gang unit detective searched his phone and found evidence linking Riley to gang activity. They also found evidence linking Riley to a recent shooting in a car belonging to a member of another gang. Evidence on his phone, along with ballistics tests, indicated that Riley was involved in the occupied vehicle shooting. Riley was charged with shooting into the vehicle, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. The Fourth Amendment and the Bill of Rights will always be debated. No matter the year or who runs the country, there will always be people on both sides of the constitution. Amendments will always be tested and there will always be new acts and laws that might contradict what the constitution says. People will constantly take sides on every issue that arises and question government decisions. The Bill of Rights will be tested, but this country was created to allow its people to have freedom and