Firefighters discover marijuana in building on fire
It’s not unusual for one agency to stumble upon evidence that would interest another department in the local jurisdiction. Firefighters in Columbia, Pennsylvania recently found a marijuana growing operation when they responded to a fire. Police investigated and found plants growing and bags of weed. The police have to be careful before they enter a building though. Unless it’s an emergency (and the destruction of drugs is not usually considered to be one), the police cannot enter a building without consent from the owner or occupant or without a search warrant. Just because an inspector has a right to be on the premises, doesn’t mean personnel from another agency can join him or her. The information uncovered by an inspector can be communicated to the police and used as the basis for a criminal search warrant.
