MovieChat Forums > Take the Money & Run (2011) Discussion > Can the investigators search private pro...

Can the investigators search private property??

posted 13 years ago by NYAngel122191-1
5 replies | jump to latest

If they believe they hid the case in someone's house, can they even search the house? Don't they need a search warrant for that?

[–] narnia4 13 years ago

The "criminals" need to hide it in a place that is accessible 24/7 by the investigators. Its actually a quick way for the detectives to eliminate a house, if the people there don't let them search (which is their right) then they know the case isn't in that house. There's probably some papers signed or at least an understanding with anybody who helps the people who hide the case.

[–] NYAngel122191-1 13 years ago

What about the second couple? The house's owner wasn't even home.

[–] SBL84 13 years ago

There's probably something in the rules (that the viewers have not been told) that has the contestants forfeit their winnings if they hide it in a place that is inaccessible.

So if they hide it at a friend's house and the detectives show up, asking the person if they can search the house, the friend is probably told something by the production crew like "Preventing the detectives from entering isn't going to help your friends if the case is hidden here, they will be disqualified and won't win the money anyway if you keep it inaccessible."

Maybe the contestants have to give contact information to the production crew of everyone they might contact (that isn't shared with the detectives or interrogation team) so the production crew can get permission from everyone ahead of time.

[–] bing-57 13 years ago

> What about the second couple? The house's owner wasn't even home.

Most likely the producers got the home owner's permission to allow the detectives to search the property for the spare key and then, if they found it, search the inside of the home as well.

That seems to count as "accessible 24/7."

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What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] bing-57 13 years ago

Okay, what I've pieced together is that the place they hide it must accessible 24 hours a day (from the FAQ) and that any accomplices that the team enlists must follow the same rules as the players (or a set of rules especially for friends and family). If the accomplice doesn't agree to the rules (and they probably get a minimum payment for their troubles), the team forfeits the money.

This seemed to be confirmed in episode three when the detectives rang a doorbell and said, "Nobody's home so it can't be here." That implies that accomplices must sit at home (or somehow be available) for 48 hours in case the detectives drop by.

In episode two, hiding the case in a friend's house was probably legal if the home owner gave specific permission that his property could be searched and, if the spare key was found, the house could be entered and searched. Note that the home owner did not have to specify where the spare key was. Thus, the house counted as being accessible 24 hours a day.

The restaurant in episode one was closed when the detectives got there and no one was available to let them search the place. So the case could not be there.

But you are correct. The detectives can not search any place that they don't have permission. They are not on duty and are just playing a game. No judge would ever issue a search warrant in that situation.

So, if the property owner or resident refuses permission to search the place or isn't available, the detectives can, under the rules of the game, conclude that the case isn't there.

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What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?