Pennsylvania Search & Seizure Law
The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects you from “unwarranted” searches of your person, your car, and your home, and from seizure of your property by police or other law enforcement officers. Article 1, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania State Constitution protects you even further, thanks to broad interpretations of these rights by the Pennsylvania appellate courts.
If the police lacked probable cause for a warrant, have improperly executed a search warrant, unlawfully detained you, or entered your property without permission or probable cause, any evidence they find cannot be used against you at trial.
At the Philadelphia law office of Patrick Artur & Associates, we don’t let illegal searches and seizures put our clients behind bars.
If you've been arrested, contact Pennsylvania search and seizure lawyers at Patrick Artur & Associates today. Our Philadelphia criminal defense attorneys represent clients throughout the Philadelphia area and all of Eastern and Northeastern Pennsylvania
Immediate Investigation of the Facts
The police have a story. Sometimes that story is a far cry from reality. It's the job of your Pennsylvania search and seizure lawyer to get the facts. When you're defended by Patrick Artur & Associates, we immediately begin investigating your case.
- We have our own team of professional investigators on staff, many of them former police officers ready to pull the paperwork and beat the streets to gather evidence. We'll go door to door looking for witnesses who saw the police action against you and can challenge the police version of events. We'll carefully scrutinize the search warrant, if there was one, to see if will withstand our challenges.
Police Misconduct
When the police knocked on your door and asked to talk, but then began searching your property, did you think you had to let them? When the police pulled you over and asked to search your car, did they lead you to think you had to say yes? Did the police start chasing you, forcing you to abandon your property?
The police may act as if they can do whatever they want, but it's not true. You don't have to give permission for a search. In most cases the police are not entitled to search without a warrant. Forced abandonment of your property can make evidence inadmissible in court.
If you've been the victim of police misconduct through illegal search and seizure, contact the criminal defense attorneys at Patrick Artur & Associates. You have Constitutional rights—it's our job to zealously protect them in court. Immediate and aggressive defense intervention can be the key to getting your case thrown out, or a verdict of "not guilty."
Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the criminal defense attorneys at Patrick Artur & Associates represent clients throughout the greater Philadelphia area, including West Chester, Norristown, Doylestown, and Media, as well as in Chester County, Montgomery County, Bucks County, and Delaware County.
