When can law enforcement legally execute a search or arrest warrant?

• A. When the warrant is invalid, but officer believes it should be valid.
• B. When the warrant is valid, properly issued, within jurisdiction, and the scope matches the warrant.
• C. When the warrant is issued in a different state.
• D. When the warrant is for an area outside the jurisdiction.

Answer: (B)

The action is legal only when the warrant is valid and issued properly, within the issuing authority’s jurisdiction, and executed within the scope described in the warrant. A properly issued warrant rests on probable cause and comes from a competent court, and it must specify who or what is to be searched or seized, or who is to be arrested. The executing officers must operate within the geographic and subject-matter limits of that warrant, meaning they search and arrest only where and as the warrant permits. If the warrant is invalid, issued in the wrong state, outside the local jurisdiction, or if the scope doesn’t match what the warrant authorizes, the arrest or search becomes unlawful.