davis mississippi argued decided april connection rape investigation meridian mississippi police without warrants brought numerous negro youths police station questioning fingerprinting petitioner thus questioned fingerprinted released thereafter concededly without warrant probable cause arrest police drove petitioner jackson confined jail overnight questioned signed statement returned meridian jailed confined fingerprinted prints sent fbi comparison latent prints found victim home fingerprint evidence admitted petitioner trial rape objection product unlawful detention convicted mississippi upheld conviction held fingerprint evidence exception rule evidence obtained searches seizures violation constitution inadmissible state pp fourth amendment applies involuntary detention occurring investigatory stage well accusatory stage pp detentions sole purpose obtaining fingerprints subject constraints fourth amendment determined whether fourth amendment requirements met narrowly circumscribed procedures obtaining criminal investigation fingerprints persons probable cause arrest since attempt made case employ procedures might comply fourth amendment melvyn zarr argued cause petitioner brief jack greenberg michael meltsner anthony amsterdam jack young garland lyell assistant attorney general mississippi argued cause respondent brief joe patterson attorney general justice brennan delivered opinion petitioner convicted rape sentenced life imprisonment jury circuit lauderdale county mississippi issue us whether fingerprints obtained petitioner excluded evidence product detention illegal fourth fourteenth amendments rape occurred evening december victim home meridian mississippi victim give better description assailant negro youth finger palm prints found sill borders window assailant apparently entered victim home constituted lead available outset police investigation beginning december period days meridian police without warrants took least negro youths police headquarters questioned briefly fingerprinted released without charge police also interrogated negro youths either police headquarters school street petitioner youth occasionally worked victim yardboy brought december released fingerprinted routinely questioned december december interrogated police several occasions sometimes home car times police headquarters questioning apparently related primarily investigation potential suspects several times period petitioner exhibited victim hospital room police officer testified confrontations purpose sharpening victim description assailant providing gauge go size color victim identify petitioner assailant confrontations december police drove petitioner miles city jackson confined overnight jackson jail state conceded oral argument neither warrant probable cause arrest next day petitioner yet afforded counsel took lie detector test signed statement returned confined meridian jail december confined petitioner fingerprinted second time day december prints together fingerprints negro youths apparently still suspicion sent federal bureau investigation washington comparison latent prints taken window victim house fbi reported petitioner prints matched taken window petitioner subsequently indicted tried rape fingerprint evidence admitted evidence trial petitioner timely objections fingerprints excluded product unlawful detention mississippi sustained admission fingerprint evidence affirmed conviction granted certiorari reverse outset find merit suggestion mississippi opinion fingerprint evidence trustworthiness subject proscriptions fourth fourteenth amendments decisions recognize exception rule illegally seized evidence inadmissible trial however relevant trustworthy seized evidence may item proof exclusionary rule fashioned sanction redress deter overreaching governmental conduct prohibited fourth amendment make exception illegally seized evidence trustworthy fatally undermine purposes thus mapp ohio held evidence obtained searches seizures violation constitution authority inadmissible state italics supplied fingerprint evidence exception comprehensive rule agree adopt conclusion appeals district columbia circuit bynum app true fingerprints distinguished statements given detention also distinguished articles taken prisoner possession similarities differences type evidence others apparent three decisive common characteristic something evidentiary value public authorities caused arrested person yield illegal detention one product illegal detention proscribed token proscribed state makes claim petitioner voluntarily accompanied police officers headquarters december willingly submitted fingerprinting state brief also candidly admits meridian police possibly known petitioner time amount probable cause arrest state argues however december detention type require probable cause two rationales position suggested first argued detention occurred investigatory rather accusatory stage thus seizure requiring probable cause second related argument least detention sole purpose obtaining fingerprints require probable cause true time december detention police intention charging petitioner crime far making primary focus investigation argue fourth amendment apply investigatory stage fundamentally misconceive purposes fourth amendment investigatory seizures subject unlimited numbers innocent persons harassment ignominy incident involuntary detention nothing clear fourth amendment meant prevent wholesale intrusions upon personal security citizenry whether intrusions termed arrests investigatory detentions made explicit last term terry ohio rejected notions fourth amendment come play limitation upon police conduct officers stop short something called technical arrest search detentions sole purpose obtaining fingerprints less subject constraints fourth amendment arguable however unique nature fingerprinting process detentions might narrowly defined circumstances found comply fourth amendment even though probable cause traditional sense see camara municipal detention fingerprinting may constitute much less serious intrusion upon personal security types police searches detentions fingerprinting involves none probing individual private life thoughts marks interrogation search fingerprint detention employed repeatedly harass individual since police need one set person prints furthermore fingerprinting inherently reliable effective tool eyewitness identifications confessions subject abuses improper third degree finally danger destruction fingerprints limited detention need come unexpectedly inconvenient time reason general requirement authorization judicial officer obtained advance detention seem admit exception fingerprinting context occasion case however determine whether requirements fourth amendment met narrowly circumscribed procedures obtaining course criminal investigation fingerprints individuals probable cause arrest clear attempt made employ procedures might comply requirements fourth amendment detention police headquarters petitioner young negroes authorized judicial officer petitioner unnecessarily required undergo two fingerprinting sessions petitioner merely fingerprinted december detention also subjected interrogation judgment mississippi therefore reversed footnotes fingerprint evidence seem trustworthy types evidence guns narcotics gambling equipment routinely excluded illegally obtained brief respondent government argued bynum controversy introduction evidence particular set fingerprints much ado little another set properly taken available might used appeals rejected argument bears repeating matter primary judicial concern cases type imposition effective sanctions implementing fourth amendment guarantee illegal arrest detention neither fact evidence obtained detention trustworthy fact equivalent evidence conveniently obtained wholly proper way militates overriding consideration entirely irrelevant may relatively easy government prove guilt without using product illegal detention important thing administering criminal law understand must way app bynum retrial another set fingerprints way connected unlawful arrest used convicted appeals affirmed conviction app brief respondent state relies various statements cases approve general questioning citizens course investigating crime see miranda arizona culombe connecticut concurring opinion statements merely reiterated settled principle police right request citizens answer voluntarily questions concerning unsolved crimes right compel answer justice harlan concurring join opinion one reservation dictum fingerprinting may scheduled time convenient citizen general requirement authorization judicial officer obtained advance detention seem admit exception fingerprinting context ante page concur sweeping proposition may circumstances falling short dragnet procedures employed case compelled submission fingerprinting amount violation fourth amendment even absence warrant leave question open justice black dissenting petitioner convicted brutal rape woman committed home fingerprints petitioner left window sill home clinching evidence bringing petitioner conviction expanding reach judicially declared exclusionary rule ostensibly resting fourth amendment holds fingerprint evidence constitutionally inadmissible thereby reverses petitioner conviction rape occurred december duty police authorities began make searching investigation morning december raped woman originally able describe rapist young negro male evidence police proceeded interrogate number young negroes streets homes police station permitted go way petitioner among interrogated december time fingerprints made fingerprints taken december record show petitioner young man questioned fingerprinted ever made slightest objection apparently cooperated police efforts find committed rape case one list cases widely blowing fourth amendment scope original authors hard put recognize creation unnecessary expansion amendment compelled put chief reliance appeals decision bynum app think high time interest administration criminal justice made new appraisal language history fourth amendment cut intended size judicial action believe make cities safer place men women children live dissent reversal see bumper north carolina another rape case spinelli aguilar texas recznik city lorain griswold connecticut justice stewart dissenting disagree conclusion petitioner arrested detained without probable cause follow fingerprints inadmissible trial fingerprints evidence conventional sense weapons stolen goods might like color man eyes height physiognomy tips fingers inherent unchanging characteristic man physical impressions fingertips exactly endlessly reproduced deal confession wrongfully obtained property wrongfully seized tainted forever inadmissible evidence defendant deal instead evidence identically reproduced lawfully used subsequent trial believe doctrine mapp ohio requires useless gesture reversal conviction original trial victim rape oath positively identified petitioner assailant exists therefore ample probable cause detain take fingerprints