Search & Arrest Warrants Quiz

Guidelines for Search and Arrest Warrants and S.W.A.T. Team Utilization

• A search warrant is a written order issued by a judge to a law enforcement officer to search and seize property used in an offense within their jurisdiction.
• An arrest warrant is a written order issued by a judge to a law enforcement officer to bring before the court a defendant believed to have committed a criminal offense.
• Probable cause, trusted information, or a reasonable belief is required for obtaining a search or arrest warrant.
• S.W.A.T. stands for Special Weapons and Tactics Team, which is a highly trained law enforcement team recruited, selected, trained, equipped, and assigned to resolve critical incidents.
• S.W.A.T. is responsible for serving all search warrants obtained by the Port Saint Lucie Police Department, except for administrative-type search warrants for evidence that has already been collected.
• The purpose of S.W.A.T. in serving search/arrest warrants is to save lives and reduce the potential for violence, not to save narcotics.
• During the development and service of search warrants, officers must not exceed the nature and scope of the warrant and must conduct themselves professionally.
• The S.W.A.T. team leader determines the number of members necessary to serve the warrant, the time of day to serve the warrant, and the tactical method to safely serve the search warrant.
• The tactical approach to each search warrant depends on the assessment of information provided by the case agent and several factors such as severity of the crime, criminal history of the subjects involved, presence of dangerous devices, and remote location.
• S.W.A.T. officers must follow FS 933.09 provisions, announce their purpose and authority, and wait a reasonable time before using force to enter the premises.
• Exigent circumstances during the execution of a knock-and-announce warrant may allow officers to escalate to an unannounced entry.
• After the execution of the search warrant, the team shall return to headquarters and conduct a debriefing to critique the operational use of S.W.A.T. and any suggestions for corrections of any operational errors and procedural deficiencies.