The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated. 3 (Philadelphia: 1970), xix.The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives citizens the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. The Fourth Amendment prohibits the United States government from conducting "unreasonable searches and seizures. Amendment Four to the Constitution was ratified on December 15, 1791. It protects the American people from unreasonable searches and seizures. Under the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution, the police are prohibited from conducting a search and seizure without "probable cause." When are Searches and Seizures Unconstitutional? The Fourth Amendment protects the right to be secure from government's unchecked power to search and seize. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.