Officer James Duffy was serving a warrant to Jeff Duke for possession of a banned gun. When Officer Duffy arrived at Jeff's residence, Jeff was shocked. Jeff had never been in trouble a day in his life. Officer Duffy explained to Jeff that he needs to search his home, and he could call headquarters if he had a problem. When Officer Duffy talked with his sergeant at the end of his shift, they looked more closely at the warrant and noted that the warrant was actually for the previous tenants. In this situation, the police department should be protected from legal action by the:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The good faith exception protects law enforcement officers from legal action when they act on a warrant they believe to be valid, even if the warrant is later found to be invalid, as long as their belief was reasonable. In this case, Officer Duffy acted on a warrant he believed to be valid, which turned out to be for the previous tenants, making the good faith exception applicable.

Officer James Duffy Was Serving a Warrant to Jeff Duke