Exigent circumstances
Filed Under: Criminal Law
1 definition found for this term.
Definitions are presented in the order source books were published (most recent first).
Source:
An urgent situation generally involving imminent harm to a person or the destruction of evidence, but the precise definition can vary with the context. When police could satisfy the conditions for obtaining a warrant but exigent circumstances make it not practicable to obtain that warrant, they are sometimes authorized to act without the warrant.