College life is full of new beginnings. The excitement of living on your own, making new friends and seeking a path to adulthood is challenging and rewarding.
While enjoying this stage of your life, you may find that you do not always make the best choices. When you make questionable decisions and the police get involved, what are your rights? When you signed a dorm agreement, did you give consent for officials to freely enter your room? Can the police search it without your permission? The answers to these questions may surprise you.
Police need a search warrant
When you find yourself under investigation, whether you committed a crime or not, you should understand your rights. In the face of police knocking on your door demanding to come in, you need to remain calm. Even though you are a college student, the police must obtain a search warrant or get your permission to enter your dorm room. Thus, you have the right to reject their request to enter until they have a warrant.
College officials have limitations
When you enrolled in college and moved into your dorm, you may have signed something consenting to reasonable searches by college officials. However, there are probably limitations to these searches. Understanding these may come down to checking out your student handbook. Many colleges may have a built-in visual inspection clause, which limits any official to look around your room without moving or touching anything. This clause, however, does not extend to the police, even if accompanied by a college official. If a college rep does ask to enter the room under the guise of a visual inspection, he or she cannot touch or move any of your property.
Understand that fundamental civil rights extend to college students in most situations. If you want more information or find yourself in trouble, an attorney may prove beneficial.