Reading a Search Warrant
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-5-3 — a sworn written complaint, and the warrant returned to court within fourteen days
A warrant issues only on a written complaint under oath by the police, a deputy sheriff, the state police, a conservation officer, or another person authorized by law, and, for stolen property, the person entitled to it.
- Property stolen, embezzled or obtained by false pretenses.
- Property kept or concealed in violation of law, or used or intended to be used to break it.
- Property that is evidence of a crime.
- Samples such as blood, saliva or hair that may identify who committed a crime.
Fourteen days. Within fourteen days of issue, executed or not, the warrant goes back to the district court with the supporting affidavits and an inventory of anything seized.
How a warrant is served is also measured by the Fourth Amendment. The Supreme Court of the United States has held that whether officers knocked and announced their presence before entering is part of whether the entry was reasonable, and that the knock and announce principle forms part of that analysis rather than being a rigid rule without exceptions. Those holdings are a floor: a state's own constitution and statutes can give more protection than they do, never less.
Whether a particular warrant was valid is a question for a licensed Rhode Island attorney.
Sources for this section (3)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-5-2 — Grounds for issuance
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-5-3 — Issuance and contents
- Wilson v. Arkansas, 514 U.S. 927 (1995) — Knocking and announcing is part of whether an entry is reasonable
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Rhode Island attorney.