This lesson provides guidance for law enforcement officers on the following topics:

• What must officers do to comply with Iowa’s knock and announce statute?

• When does the community caretaking exception to the warrant requirement apply to a traffic stop?

• Is a traffic stop unlawful when an officer believes a driver has committed a traffic violation, but the officer is mistaken?

• What facts provide reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop?

• What circumstances justify a police officer’s warrantless seizure of a suspect’s cell phone?