Search and seizure law can be one of the trickiest areas for new officers—but it’s also one of the most important. This online course breaks it down step by step, giving recruits a strong foundation to make solid, legal decisions from their first day on the job.

Each module is easy to follow, with clear objectives, reading from the Search & Seizure Survival Guide, and real-world examples that connect classroom learning to what happens on the street. Topics start with the basics—like police-citizen contacts and probable cause—and build to advanced areas like warrantless vehicle searches, community caretaking, and K9 deployments.

You’ll also learn Blue to Gold’s proven C.R.E.W. framework (Consent, Recognized Exception, Warrant) and the Three Golden Rules of Search and Seizure, giving you simple tools to make decisions confidently in the field. Videos, case law breakdowns, and instructor insights bring everything to life, making sure the lessons stick.

What You’ll Learn

  • Fourth Amendment Fundamentals
    Get a clear handle on constitutional principles and how they apply to your work.

  • Police-Citizen Contacts
    Understand the differences between consensual encounters, detentions, and arrests.

  • Key Legal Doctrines
    Master topics like consent searches, investigative detentions, plain view, vehicle inventories, community caretaking, and hot pursuit.

  • C.R.E.W. Framework
    Use a simple, effective method to decide if your search or seizure is legal.

  • Practical Application
    Apply what you’ve learned through videos, case studies, and real-world scenarios.

  • Street-Ready Skills
    Build the confidence to make solid, defensible decisions under pressure.

Blue to Gold’s Search & Seizure for Police Academies course gives recruits the knowledge and tools to make legally sound decisions from day one—helping them build trust, stay safe, and do the job right.


Certificate: 10 Hour

Credit: In-service credit available in many states

.

.

Get Every Blue to Gold Flagship Course and Save

Course curriculum

  1. 1

    • Welcome to Blue to Gold University

    • Course Introduction

    • Meet Your Instructor

    • Questions and Technical Support
  2. 2

    • 1.1 Introduction

    • 1.2 Fourth Amendment

    • 1.3 Three Golden Rules

    • 2.1 Warrantless Presumption

    • 3.1 Two Types of Searches

    • 4.1 Two Types of Seizures

    • 5.1 Burdens of Proof
  3. 3

    • 5.2 Consensual Encounters

    • 5.3 Reasonable Suspicion

    • 5.4 Probable Cause

    • 5.5 Arrests

    • 6.1 Consent to Search

    • 7.1 Search Incident to Arrest

    • 8.1 Patdowns

    • 8.11 Plain Feel Seizures

    • 9.1 Plain View

    • 10.1 Private Citizen Searches

    • 11.1 Abandonment

    • 12.1 Unprovoked Flight
  4. 4

    • 13.1 Curtilage

    • 13.11 Curtilage Paradise

    • 14.1 Warrantless Entries into Homes

    • 15.1 Emergency Aid

    • 16.1 Community Caretaking

    • 17.1 Protective Sweeps
  5. 5

    • 18.1 Traffic Stops

    • 19.1 Controlling Passengers

    • 20.1 Identifying Passengers

    • 21.1 Patdowns of Occupants

    • 22.1 Major Cases

    • 23.1 Warrantless Search for Weapons

    • 24.1 Warrantless Search Incident to Arrest

    • 25.1 Warrantless Search for Evidence

    • 26.1 Warrantless Vehicle Inventories

    • 27.1 Warrantless K9 Searches

    • 28.1 Warrantless Search with PC

    • 29.1 Searching Passengers
  6. 6

    • Closing

Course Reviews

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

5 star rating

Well thought out and presented in linear fashion

Marc DeShaies

Very well presented

Very well presented

Read Less
5 star rating

Great class and very useful!

Paul Irwin

Great class and very useful. I have taught search and seizure and I enjoyed this class and your books. You are an asset to our profession.

Great class and very useful. I have taught search and seizure and I enjoyed this class and your books. You are an asset to our profession.

Read Less
5 star rating

Awesome Training

Kenneth Bishop

This training was great. It was presented in a way that makes the information extremely understandable. It also made me rethink the way some things are and h...

Read More

This training was great. It was presented in a way that makes the information extremely understandable. It also made me rethink the way some things are and have been done at my agency in the past. I'm looking forward to taking this information back to my patrol shift to better prepare them to do their jobs in the future.

Read Less
5 star rating

Plain Language

Travis Thompson

I loved the way the material was presented in a way that was easy of the "lay-cop" to understand. It was also presented in a way that was easy to remember an...

Read More

I loved the way the material was presented in a way that was easy of the "lay-cop" to understand. It was also presented in a way that was easy to remember and apply on scene, in the moment. I consider myself fairly squared away on search and seizure and still considered this class very worth while. So, thank you.

Read Less

  • Our courses are designed to be comprehensive, engaging, and well-structured delivered by a knowledgeable and passionate instructor.

  • Up-to-date, practical content that reflects industry trends and is presented in an easy-to-understand manner.

  • Collaborative opportunities, feedback, and assessment to facilitate student learning and progress tracking.

  • Our courses provide practical skills and knowledge that can be applied in real-life situations, with relevant examples, case studies, and exercises.

  • You will receive a certificate of completion.