A Mincey warrant is:

A Mincey warrant is:

• A. A warrant to seize financial records
• B. A search warrant needed to investigate a crime scene unless emergency circumstances exist
• C. A warrant for ex-parte meetings
• D. A warrant for undercover surveillance

Answer: (B)

The principle being tested is that investigations of a crime scene require a search warrant, unless there are true emergency conditions. Mincey v. Arizona established that police cannot conduct broad, warrantless searches of a crime scene to seize evidence after an arrest; such searches are not reasonable under the Fourth Amendment. Instead, a crime-scene search must be authorized by a proper search warrant, with exceptions only for genuine exigent circumstances where immediate action is necessary to prevent harm or the loss of evidence. So the Mincey warrant represents needing a warrant to investigate a crime scene, with the caveat that emergencies can justify departing from the warrant requirement. The other options describe unrelated kinds of warrants (financial records, ex parte meetings, undercover surveillance) and don’t reflect the rule Mincey articulates.