When are police allowed to search a person’s belongings?

Police are allowed to search a person's belongings primarily during an arrest due to the legal principle that an officer can conduct a search incident to a lawful arrest. This search is justified as it serves multiple purposes: ensuring officer safety, preventing evidence destruction, and securing evidence related to the crime for which the arrest is being made. The search must be contemporaneous with the arrest and can extend to the area within the arrestee’s immediate control, allowing officers to check for weapons or evidence that may be hidden.

Obtaining consent is another avenue for searches, but searches conducted during an arrest are governed by different legal standards compared to searches based purely on consent. Furthermore, police actions are limited by legal requirements; the idea that they can search "whenever they feel necessary" does not align with constitutional protections against unreasonable searches. Furthermore, a witness's presence does not inherently grant authority to conduct a search. Thus, the correct answer encompasses the legal framework surrounding searches as they relate to arrests, highlighting the established protocols that guide police conduct in these scenarios.