Technology has advanced over the past decade, providing law enforcement officials with new ways of gathering criminal evidence. However, these tools have raised some constitutional questions. An individual from Oregon with the initials DLK was involved in a case which had people wondering if agents violated his fourth amendment rights. Federal agents suspected that DLK was growing marijuana inside of his home, which drove agents to scan his house using a thermal scanner which showed heat just like the kind that is generated by using special lights in growing marijuana. A judge then issued agents a search warrant to check the home where they found 100 marijuana plants. DLK was arrested for illegally growing marijuana in his home. Many people believe that federal agents violated …show more content…
Considering that marijuana is illegal, people cannot grow the plants outside forcing them to be grown indoors. However, marijuana is still a plant which means it requires natural light. Pot growers cannot place the plants near windows due to outside exposure, which means the use of artificial lights are needed. Artificial lights simulate sunlight, so by using them, the marijuana plants are able to grow big and tall as if the plants are outside. The only problem is the artificial lights produce a tremendous amount of excess heat, causing pot growers to vent this excess heat somewhere outside the growing room. The picture, produced by the thermal imager, showed an abnormal loss of heat in certain areas of DLK’s house. Due to pot growers having to vent the excess heat out of the growing room, the heat escapes to outside the house. Considering the thermal imager picked up massive amounts of heat escaping from inside the house, authorities concluded that DLK must be growing marijuana. Unless DLK had the heat turned all the up and all the windows opened, then it seems quite obvious that he was up to no