According to the federal rules of criminal procedure an electronic search warrant, issued without a written affidavit, may be issued any time there is probable cause. Occupants need not be present while officers enter premises in order to execute search warrants. The U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on how extensively officers can search pursuant to warrants. The Supreme Court has not answered the question as to whether the Fourth Amendment protects diaries and other highly personal property. Most jurisdictions require that officers compile an inventory of property seized during the execution of search warrants.
Most searches take place pursuant to warrants.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that searches incident to arrest need no independent justification other than the arrest itself. Concerning arrests for minor crimes, the Supreme Court has decided to leave to police discretion whether suspects ought to be searched incident to their arrest. Parents can always give consent to search for their minor children and for adult children who live at home. According to the model code of the pre-arraignment procedure, a consent to search may be withdrawn or limited at any time prior to the completion of the search. If police officers have probable cause to search, and they reasonably believe that evidence is in imminent danger of destruction, they can search without a warrant.