Fourth Amendment Commons^™

School Metal Detector Searches And The Fourth Amendment: An Empirical Study, Myrna G. Baskin, Laura M. Thomas

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note is an empirical study of the weapons searches in the Detroit public schools. Part I traces the history of the Detroit public school searches describes how the searches were conducted, and explains the procedure implemented when a student was arrested or detained. Part II addresses the constitutionality of the search policy and concludes that the current sweep procedure violates the fourth amendment. Part III suggests a number of constitutional, and more effective, methods to decrease the number of weapons and the amount of violence in the Detroit high schools.