Computer Search warrants

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When executing search warrants, police are restricted to searching only areas in which the listed object of the search could be found or concealed. This is said to be the “scope” of the search warrant. For example, if an officer was executing a search warrant for a piano located in a house, the officer could only look places where a piano could be concealed. Thus, if the officer looked into a jewelry box, he would be exceeding the scope of the search warrant, and any evidence discovered in the jewelry box would likely be suppressed as fruit of an unreasonable search. On the other hand, a search warrant authorizing the search for illegal narcotics located in a house would most likely authorize the search of just about everywhere in the house because narcotics can be hidden is very small spaces. With searches for such tangible objects, it is fairly easy to determine the scope of the search. However, when we consider searches of computers and similar technology for digital media or other evidence, the scope of the search is sometimes less clear.