History Main / NoWarrantNoProblem

-->--'''Judy Hopps''', ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}''

Many countries, such as the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates, require police officers to gain permission from either the homeowner or the courts before they collect evidence or enter a residence to investigate, absent certain exceptions. Writers often [[HollywoodLaw completely ignore these in favor of an interesting narrative.]] Ignoring the rules for evidence collection and the limits (legal or [[SacredHospitality otherwise]]) of hospitality is a line that both the DirtyCop and CowboyCop will cross in service to their desires. Any time the ByTheBookCop is willing to cross this line is [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness a distinctive moment for that character]], possibly CharacterDevelopment into a different type of cop.

Generally in democratic societies, there are only very limited [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exigent_circumstance exigent circumstances]] where a warrantless entry can be done. One of these circumstances is "Hot Pursuit"; i.e. if a cop is chasing a suspect and the suspect runs into a house and slams the door closed, the cop does not have to stop and get a warrant to enter. Website/TheOtherWiki has an article on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_pursuit Hot Pursuit.]] ''However'', if you are a member of the Armed Forces, or on a military installation, your person, your car, your belongings, and your quarters can be searched at any time, for any reason, without a warrant. Military personnel give up this right when they join -- or are drafted into -- the military. Visitors to military installations should pay close attention to the signs at every gate which clearly state that all visitors are subject to search without warrant or warning. If you enter the base, you've agreed to those conditions. The same goes for prisoners, of course, and people entering or exiting the US at airports or border posts.

See {{Usefulnotes/Sus Law}}. Compare EmptyCopThreat.

** Later the police has tracked down an art smuggling ring to a foreign embassy, but [[DiplomaticImpunity can't get in unless the foreign government gives them permission]] and they have nothing concrete to show... So Toshio dresses up as a ninja and sneaks in to find the evidence, with [[DatingCatwoman his girlfriend Hitomi, a member of Cat's Eye]], following him to help because Toshio is ''useless'' as a thief. The evidence Toshio finds is enough to pressure the foreign government to give the police access.

* Played straight in ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}''. When Judy and Nick reach the limo service business holding the car they are tracking, they find it closed and Judy doesn't have a warrant. Judy prepares to give Nick back the recorder pen she was using to blackmail him but tosses it over the fence at the last second. Nick climbs the fence to get it, only to find that Judy has burrowed underneath the fence and beaten him in with this excellent response:

* In ''Film/BrighamCity'', Wes has most of the men in the town go from door to door to find the missing woman Jamie Harlan. If the home owners don't comply, then Wes tries to strong-arm his way in.
* ''Film/DirtyHarry'': Under pressure to rescue a girl BuriedAlive, Detective Callahan breaks into the home of serial killer Scorpio on a tip and tortures a confession and the hostage's location out of him. The confession and the murder weapon he collects are inadmissible, Scorpio walks, and on top of it all, [[spoiler:he is too late to save her]].

* On the first two ''Film/DeathWish'' films, this happens to Paul Kersey. Even more, both times his house is broken in and searched is by the same cop (and in the latter movie he has absolutely no jurisdiction because he's an NYC detective and Kersey is living in LA -- also, he uses the moment he breaks in to try to intimidate Kersey's GirlOfTheWeek into convincing Kersey to stop, an even bigger legal no-no if the woman decided to report it). While the police had ''suspicion'' about Kersey being the vigilante they are looking for on the first film, they have no ''evidence'' up until said break-in is done and the detective finds some bloody tissues to compare with the blood on a knife that Kersey had been wounded with. This is all presented as evidence that the New York City police are more concerned about ''looking'' efficient that they are with actually ''being'' efficient, [[TheLopsidedArmOfTheLaw and thus go after anybody who dares make them look bad, legality be damned]].
* ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'': Scott's ex-wife Maggie tries to argue about this in defense of Scott, but her cop husband Paxton points out that the [=FBI=] genuinely doesn't need one since Scott is under house arrest and, per the terms of his agreement, subject to search at any time.

* ''Literature/JinxHigh'': When Diana, Larry, and Mark find [[spoiler:Fay Harper's]] ritual space, Mark picks the lock on both the gate across the road and the building itself. Subverted in that while Mark's a cop (outside his jurisdiction, but still a cop), it's not like anything will be going before a judge -- the group just wants to sabotage any spells the owner has prepared and drain off the owner's stored {{Mana}}.
-->"Boy, I'll tell you, it's amazing how careless people are, leaving their gates unlocked like that."

* An episode of ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' has Archie getting arrested for possession of a weapon without a permit when he lets a policeman into his house, but the case is thrown out of court because the officer didn't have a search warrant to search Archie's coat. The plot is meant to deliver an {{Aesop}} about why cops have limits on how they can enforce the law.
* Sometimes used on ''Series/{{Bones}}'' where Booth will say "Did you hear that?" to Brennan before breaking down the door. Other times he'll mix it up, telling Brennan "if anyone asks, we found the door open."
* In ''Series/Cain2012'', the eponymous paraplegic cop doesn't care if he doesn't have warrants to search for clues, he'll go to crime scenes and other places and rummage regardless.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'', [[ThoseTwoGuys Esposito and Ryan]] are tracking down the owner of a safe deposit box, no one is answering the door. Ryan says "Did you hear that?", Esposito immediately follows with "Yeah...", fakes a "help" in a female voice, and they barge in... to find a dead body.

** Lieutenant Columbo is a perfect example of the second variety of the Trope -- he continuously pesters the suspects by appearing anywhere they are (work, home, middle of the street, wherever) and claiming he is just going to "ask some questions" -- that start as random nit-picking and become PerpSweating by annoyance as the episode continues. He has also grabbed evidence and kept it to himself ([[HollywoodLaw disregarding the chain of evidence completely]]) to confront a suspect with it later on. At least in one episode, he ''explicitly'' said that the suspect's hostile response to this modus operandi was leading him on the right path, because he "struck a nerve".
** Played straight in an episode on a British cruise ship, where a murder has occurred while Columbo and his wife are vacationing. Knowing that he's a police detective, the Captain of the ship asks for Columbo's assistance. Columbo does so, but makes it clear he is only capable of assisting and has absolutely no authority or jurisdiction on a cruise ship on the high seas. A crew member is a suspect, and Columbo says they'll need a search warrant to check his cabin for the murder weapon. The Captain states that he doesn't need a warrant to search a crew member's quarters (TruthInTelevision, he doesn't) and orders his first officer to immediately search the cabin.
* ZigZagged in an episode of ''Series/TheCommish'' when Tony is faced with an illegal search dilemma during the hunt for a stolen baby. He's reasonably sure he's at the right house, but he can't wait for a search warrant. If he goes in without a warrant, the search will be illegal and the perp will walk, but if he waits, the baby could die (it has a rare condition and needs its medicine). He tries to play the "did you hear that?" game with his supporting officers, but realizes he's too honest for that. He busts in anyway and finds the baby.

* {{Deconstructed}} in the ''Series/{{Elementary}}'' episode "Tremors". Facing an inquiry into the events leading to [[spoiler:Detective Bell TakingTheBullet for Sherlock]], Sherlock claims they have encountered an unusually high number of open doors, and at least one puppy and television that each sounded like someone calling for help. The judge doesn't buy it and recommends Sherlock be fired for that, among other things.
* Showed up from time to time on ''Franchise/LawAndOrder''. For example, sometimes they'd call Con-Ed and claim they smelled gas. Other times they'd just snow the super with "We have badges, it's cool."

** In an episode, Benson and Stabler go to the suspect's apartment to question him and hear him having consensual sex with his girlfriend. They break down the door, and Stabler smirkingly claims that they had exigent circumstances because they heard a woman moaning.

** "Mr. Monk and the Very, Very Old Man" does this when Monk and Stottlemeyer show up at the house of George Rowe, following a lead in the death of Miles Holling. Stottlemeyer sees a messy room through the window, suggesting a fight. Monk briefly challenges Stottlemeyer on if they have enough probable cause to enter without a warrant, then they enter.

* PlayedWith in ''Series/{{Witchblade}}'' in which a ByTheBookCop visits the home of a man he knows to be a serial killer but has no evidence, trying to goad the man into revealing something, but goes away empty-handed. He later learns that there was a victim imprisoned inside the apartment, and if he had burst in on some flimsy excuse, he could have saved her life.

* Played straight on ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "Home". Mulder and Scully go to a house in order to locate some suspects. They don't have local law enforcement with them, but as FBI Agents they have jurisdiction, so that's not an issue. Upon arriving at the house, the door is unlocked but it appears no-one is home. Mulder starts to open the door to go inside, but Scully stops him, correctly saying that "there's no probable cause" (that a felony has occurred or is occurring, which would allow them to enter the house without a warrant). Taking out his flashlight, Mulder shines it inside and they both see a bloodstained knife lying on the kitchen floor.[[note]]In some cases, if it's something that can be seen without entering, a warrant isn't as necessary. Otherwise, you need a warrant describing what you're looking for to ''officially'' find out if it's there.[[/note]] Without saying a word, both of them draw their guns and enter the house, because now there ''is'' probable cause.

* Just about everyone in ''VideoGame/CriminalCase'', including the player character, should be hauled before Internal Affairs for this. During an early Grimsborough case, a suspect refuses to let Jones and the [=PC=] search her apartment unless they can show her a warrant. Jones calls the request "cute". The apartment scene is searched without a warrant.

* In ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'', [[spoiler:Mortelli examines the diner's financial records secretly, with no mention of a warrant authorizing their search or seizure.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Averted in ''Webcomic/BloodAndSmoke''. Carson is shown strictly following police procedure.

* In an episode of ''Series/{{Castle}}'', [[ThoseTwoGuys Esposito and Ryan]] are tracking down the owner of a safe deposit box, no one is answering the door. Ryan says "Did you hear that?", Esposito immediately follows with "Yeah...", fakes a "help" in a female voice, and they barge in... to find a dead body.

* ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'': Scott's ex-wife Maggie tries to argue about this in defense of Scott, but the [=FBI=] genuinely doesn't need one since Scott is under house arrest and, per the terms of his agreement, subject to search at any time.