Can a police officer enter my backyard if my neighbors thought we were trespassing?

Question

the other day I was hanging out with my two friends in my backyard smoking ciggarettes when two cops walked around the side of my house through my closed gate and began asking questions and interogating me and my friends. My family was on vacation and I had come home early so my neighbors believed we were trespassing.. can the cops enter my backyard without a warrant and then stay to question me even though it was my house? they also did not ring the front door first because I would of heard it ring

Answer 1

im pretty sure they can

Answer 2

yes

Answer 3

Did they ask if you lived there? Yes, they can.

Answer 4

hey, im a police officer, and we have the power to enter any property, without a warrant, if we have reasonable grounds to suspect a crime is being committed, because your neighbors called the police and reported you as a trespasser that would give the police reasonable grounds to enter your backyard...

Answer 5

If a police officer is investigating a crime, yes, they can enter your yard.  Yes, they can question you.  It sounds like any questions that would have been asked wouldn't have been guilt-seeking, because they would just be confirming your identity and you were not in custody at the time.

Answer 6

Criminals don't have "criminal" tatooed on their forehead.They responded to a trespassing call and investigated it.

You should be happy the neighbors are looking out and the police are responding.

Cigarettes are horrible for your health,by the way.

Answer 7

Police officers can ebeter any wear without a warrant outside of your house. The front yard and back yard are open.

Answer 8

That is a tricky question ,but generally yes while investigating a potintial robbery or burglery.

Be glade the neighbor was watching.

Answer 9

Don't your neighbors even know that you live there? Why are you concerned about the police checking to see if someone was in your yard. You should be happy that they are watching your house while your family is gone. I don't understand about your neighbors though. Are you sure that you weren't smoking something beside the cigarettes?

Answer 10

Yes.  There is an assumption that the police have authority to enter your backyard to investigate the possibility that your home is being burglarized.  They are expected to investigate the circumstances and determine if any criminal activity is taking place.  Just because you say you live there isn't enough; they have to make sure you really do live there.  Also, if they were investigating a possible burglary, do you really expect them to announce their presence by ringing the doorbell?

Lets pretend for a minute that people were really trespassing on your property when you were out of town, wouldn't you expect the police to respond, sneak back there, catch the people on your property, and investigate it fully so they could take appropriate action?  I expect so.  They were just doing their jobs.  Be glad they were.

Answer 11

Your neighbors were thoughtful enough to call in a possible prowler, the police come to investigate, and you are worried about it being legal?

And you expect the police to ring the bell and hope a burglar answers?

This question is a joke, and you have no common sense at all.

Answer 12

Yes they do but you have the right to tell those cops to get off your property. Cops will use any excuse to come on your property but you have the right to tell the cops to leave.

Answer 13

Yes of course they can.

They were attempting to protect your property. They got a report of a crime and they investigating. Personally I would be extremely happy to know that my local officers were working to ensure that my property was safe while I was on vacation.