A search begins when you break the threshold.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. It begins when the search begins after entry from a doorway
• D. It begins only with a warrant

Answer: (A)

Crossing into a private dwelling marks the moment a search begins because it invades the occupant’s privacy. The home is a highly protected space, and entering it, even before any rummaging, constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment. A warrant or any valid exception can later justify the action, but the point at which the search concept starts is the moment the threshold is crossed. Observing from outside or in areas not entered does not start the search in the same way; it’s the actual entry into the private space that triggers the search concept.