What are considered "exigent circumstances"?

Exigent circumstances refer to emergency situations that may require law enforcement officers to act quickly, justifying a search without a warrant. These circumstances arise when there is an imminent threat to life or serious injury, the destruction of evidence, or the escape of a suspect could occur if officers were to wait for a warrant.

In practice, this means that if police officers believe that waiting for a warrant would jeopardize public safety or the effectiveness of their investigation, they can enter a property or conduct a search based on their immediate observations and the nature of the situation. This principle is grounded in the necessity of balancing individual rights with public safety and the interest in preventing harm or loss of evidence.

While there may be situations where police can enter homes or question suspects without a warrant, those situations do not necessarily fall under the specific definition of exigent circumstances. Additionally, court hearing requests are governed by different legal standards and do not pertain to the urgent nature driving exigent circumstances.