Editing Search and seizure (section)

{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}
{{Short description|Police powers}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = March 2019}}
[[File:vehicle drug search australia.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|[[Dareton, New South Wales|Dareton]] police search the vehicle of a suspected drug smuggler in Wentworth, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the border with Victoria.]]
'''Search and seizure''' is a procedure used in many [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] and [[common law]] legal systems by which [[police]] or other authorities and their agents, who, suspecting that a [[crime]] has been committed, commence a search of a person's property and [[Confiscation|confiscate]] any relevant evidence found in connection to the crime.

Some countries have certain provisions in their [[constitution]]s that provide the public with the right to be free from "unreasonable searches and seizures". This right is generally based on the premise that everyone is entitled to a reasonable [[right to privacy]]. 

Though specific interpretation may vary, this right can often require [[law enforcement]] to obtain a [[search warrant]] or consent of the owner before engaging in any form of search and seizure. In cases where evidence is seized in a search, that evidence might be rejected by court procedures, such as with a [[motion to suppress]] the evidence under the [[exclusionary rule]].