What Does the Fourth Amendment Mean? The Fourth Amendment generally requires government officials to obtain an arrest warrant or search warrant to execute a valid search and seizure.A search or seizure is generally considered to be unreasonable without a warrant, subject to only a few exceptions. Know the details about illegal search and seizure settlements and the next steps to take if this is your case. Plain View Doctrine: If evidence of a crime is in plain view of an officer, he or she does not need a search warrant to take additional action. Criminal suspects can voluntarily waive their Fourth Amendment rights and consent to a search of their person or property without a warrant. The Fourth Amendment protects your right to privacy. According to the fourth amendment, the warrant requirement is that there must be probable cause before it can be issued. The Fourth Amendment's rule against unreasonable search and seizures means that police may not search you or your property unless one of the following is true:. According to the fourth amendment, the warrant requirement is that there must be probable cause before it can be issued.