The Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures. Police had evidence that DLK was growing marijuana in his home, so they used a thermal imaging camera and found a significant amount of heat. The police brought this evidence before a judge who gave them a warrant to search DLK's house for marijuana and when they searched his house the police found the plants and arrested DLK. The controversy surrounding this case is whether or not it was constitutional for the police to use the thermal imaging camera at DLK's home without a search warrant. The government did not need a warrant to use a thermal imager on the outside of DLK's house because once the heat left DLK's house it was public knowledge, the thermal imager could not see any details inside DLK's house and the police already had evidence to expect that DLK was growing marijuana plants in his home. The government did not need a warrant to use a thermal imaging camera on DLK's house because once the heat left DLK's house, it was public knowledge. Document F-2 states that once a flavor or heat wave leaves a home, the heat wave becomes public knowledge and there is no longer a reasonable expectation of privacy about heat waves or the flavor. For example, if someone were to bake a bunch of cakes at home, they would have no expectation of privacy regarding the scent they create by making the cakes. Same goes for DLK, he had so many lamps and so much heat from growing plants that if someone could simply walk up and touch the side of his house they would be able to feel the heat coming off. DLK therefore has no reasonable expectation that the heat it is creating will remain private. The government did not need a warrant to use a thermal imager on DLK's house...... middle of paper ......cy of the things he did to his house and the thermal imager can show things that the the naked eye cannot see as indicated in documents D and F-2. However, there are many other situations in which the government uses things that are not available to the general public, such as when the police can obtain information on telephone records and electricity bills, when it would be much more difficult for any citizen to do so. DLK may also have a reasonable expectation of privacy for the things he does in his home, but the thermal imaging camera cannot see exactly what DLK was doing in his home, only the heat that was being released. Finally, when the police examine a crime scene they can use a special chemical to show any remnants of previously cleaned blood, which is perfectly legal without a warrant. So the police did not need to have a warrant to use the thermal imaging camera on DLK's home.