Question

You are a police officer investigating a double homicide. You have suspicion that a particular person may be involved, but do not have probable cause. You follow the individual for several days without developing additional incriminating evidence, but you are convinced the individual is guilty and may very well kill again. When the suspect leaves his apartment, he leaves the front door unlocked. You open the door and see a gun on the coffee table that matches the type forensics has determined fired the fatal bullets in the double homicide. There is no one else in the apartment, so you leave and wait across the street. A few hours later, you see the suspect stumbling towards his apartment, obviously under the influence of alcohol. You wait until he is at his front door and approach him with the idea of arresting him for public intoxication after he opens the door. You do so and, as you arrest the suspect, the gun is in plain view. Based on the arrest and the gun being in plain view, the evidence is seized consistent with the law and will be instrumental in convicting the suspect. No one knows that you had earlier entered the apartment without probable cause, which would render the search suspect and the evidence likely excluded at trial. Does this raise an ethical issue for the police officer? If so, how should the police officer deal with it?

Answer

This answer is hidden. It contains 779 characters.