What Does the Fourth Amendment Mean? The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures.The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. It requires a warrant, based on probable cause, for searches. It enables law enforcement officers to handle emergency situations that present a compelling need for official action, without time to secure a warrant. At a minimum, the Fourth Amendment prohibits police from using Fog's device search feature without first obtaining a warrant from a judge. The Fourth Amendment generally requires government officials to obtain an arrest warrant or search warrant to execute a valid search and seizure. This article and accompanying selfstudy quiz will educate readers regarding procedures for issuing and executing warrants in criminal cases. A search does not violate the Fourth Amendment if consent was given or if it was conducted pursuant to a valid warrant. A search or seizure is generally considered to be unreasonable without a warrant, subject to only a few exceptions.