In the rural Appalachian Mountains, two locals are known as possible marijuana growers. The police have been conducting surveillance on the two men for over six months and have found no visual evidence of the production or possession of an illegal substance. Having exhausted all other avenues, answer the following questions to determine the legality of the police

Question

activities.
The police surveillance team visually detect trash bags being left at the side of theroad for the trashmen to pick up. The police take the garbage and find large amounts of chemicals used for growing marijuana and marijuana stems as well. The action is:
• a an indeterminant action which is considered on a case-by-case basis.

О b
deemed illegal because this is an invasion of privacy based on the Fourth Amendment.
O c deemed legal based on the California v. Greenwood decision and upheld by the Supreme Court.

O d deemed legal because police have the right to go through garbage whenever and whenever it is detected.
O e deemed illegal because the expectation of privacy extends to one's belongings even when they are not in the
immediate area.

Answer 1

The correct answer is c deemed legal based on the California v. Greenwood decision and upheld by the Supreme Court. In this case, the police conducted a legal search by obtaining evidence from the trash left outside for collection. The Supreme Court ruled in California v. Greenwood that once garbage is left outside for collection, it is considered abandoned property and can be searched by law enforcement without a warrant.