Search and SeizureThe purpose of the Fourth Amendment is to protect people from government intrusion into areas where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. It prohibits searches and seizures unless carried out with probable cause and under reasonable circumstances. “The Fourth Amendment protects only against searches and seizures carried out by or under the direction of the government. Surveillance and investigative actions undertaken by strictly private individuals, such as private investigators, suspicious spouses, or nosy neighbors, are not governed by the Fourth Amendment” (Criminal.Findlaw.com, 2013). A search occurs when the police or other government agency enters a place where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, and a seizure occurs when it infringes on a person's right to possess the property . “Some examples of places where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy include: places of residence, hotel rooms, certain public places such as toilets, certain areas of prisons, telephone booths and certain areas of 'a car' (Rivera, ...