What must officers have to justify a warrantless search due to destruction or removal of evidence?

Officers must have facts that a reasonable person would believe evidence is being destroyed to justify a warrantless search under the exigent circumstances exception to the Fourth Amendment. This means that if law enforcement can establish that there are urgent and compelling reasons to believe that evidence could be lost or destroyed before they can obtain a warrant, they may act without one.

In situations where evidence is at risk of being destroyed, the standard of “facts that a reasonable person would believe” allows officers to assess the immediacy of the threat to that evidence. This is crucial because the Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures, but it also recognizes that in some situations, swift action is necessary to uphold law enforcement's integrity and prevent the loss of vital evidence.

The other options do not adequately address the necessary legal standard for warrantless searches due to evidence destruction. For example, merely having a witness account or probable cause that a suspect is armed does not automatically indicate that evidence is being destroyed or that immediate action is warranted. A simultaneous warrant for the search location is also irrelevant to the question of exigent circumstances, as it negates the need for a warrantless search.