Question
Prompt Officer Martinez, a dedicated officer with the College Town Police Department, is on routine patrol around USC. The area is known for its vibrant
Prompt
Officer Martinez, a dedicated officer with the College Town Police Department, is on routine patrol around USC. The area is known for its vibrant student life and, occasionally, for complaints related to late-night parties. It's nearing midnight on a Friday, and Officer Martinez is patrolling a residential area adjacent to the campus that is popular among students for off-campus housing.
As Officer Martinez drives down Adams Street, she hears the sound of glass breaking, followed by loud music and voices cheering. The sounds are emanating from a large, old house known to be rented by college students. As she approaches the property on foot, she hears what sounds like someone yelling for help from inside the house. Concerned about the safety of the individuals inside, Officer Martinez decides to enter the property.
Once inside, Officer Martinez finds a group of college students surrounding another student, Alex, who appears intoxicated and has a minor cut on his hand from a broken glass. The students explained they were just having a party, and things got a little out of hand. After ensuring Alex is attended to and not in need of medical care beyond basic first aid, Officer Martinez asks if she can search the rest of the house to ensure there is no one else in need of assistance and to assess the safety of the premises. The students, recognizing the seriousness of the situation and the officer's concern for their welfare, agree to allow her to search the house.
During her search, Officer Martinez opens a desk drawer in a common area of the house and finds a small bag containing white powder, which she suspects to be illegal drugs. The desk is in a location accessible to all party attendees, and it's unclear who the powder belongs to.
While in the house, she also noticed an old, somewhat worn-out sofa that seemed out of place in the otherwise modern house. However, since this was a house where college students lived, she suspected the sofa was likely a "hand-me-down." Upon closer inspection, she observed a small corner of what appeared to be a piece of jewelry protruding from the seam of the sofa cushions. Carefully, she extracted a vintage watch, which was later confirmed to be one of the items reported stolen in a recent burglary.
Is Officer Martinez's entry and subsequent search valid?
Note: Consider each stage of the fact pattern and whether the officer's actions were constitutional.
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