There are specific regulations governing police behavior when it comes to searches and seizures of computers. If your computer has been searched or seized by the police, you may have grounds to challenge the search or make certain demands regarding it. A New Hampshire criminal attorney can advise you as to the Fourth Amendment implications of the search.

In general, when searching a computer, the police are supposed to use a keyword search that does not unnecessarily expose material for which they have no probable cause to search. Though the police might search a physical file cabinet by opening each file and inspecting its contents, they should not do the same thing with each file and folder on your computer.

The police will probably make a mirror-image of your computer’s hard drive and use that to conduct their search; they might return your computer as they no longer need it. Your New Hampshire criminal defense attorney should ensure that the evidence is not tampered with by the police. Your attorney can do this by having a computer technician make a mirror of the hard drive as soon as it is returned, so that you have an image of the files as they were at the time of the search; this can be compared to the evidence the police present. Finally, if the police seize property or files that are intermingled with other documents that are not covered by the scope of their search warrant, your attorney should move for the prompt return of the property and demand that the non-covered files be sealed.

If you have questions about a search and seizure of your property, contact experienced New Hampshire criminal defense attorney Sven Wiberg today for a free initial consultation.