What Does the Fourth Amendment Mean? In the aftermath of Hickey, the legislature amended CPL 690.35 in 1992 to broaden the choice of courts empowered to issue search warrants (L 1992, ch 815, 816).First, the consent must be voluntarily given. A search or seizure is generally considered to be unreasonable without a warrant, subject to only a few exceptions. If a probationer consents to a warrantless search, less suspicion is needed to conduct the search, and probable cause is no longer required. When an exception applies, the search or seizure is considered "reasonable" and complies with the Fourth Amendment, even without a warrant. An officer normally needs a search warrant to search a residence, unless an exception to the warrant requirement applies. A police officer must fill out an affidavit and present it to a neutral judge or magistrate to obtain a warrant. When the police knock on your door, you do not have to let them in unless they have in their possession and show you a valid search warrant. Ventresca, 380 U.S. 102, 106 (1965) ("in a doubtful or marginal case a search under a warrant may be sustainable where without one it would fall"); Beck v.