Washington v. Chrisman - Significance

The ruling represents an early example of the Court's willingness to interpret the Fourth Amendment in such a way as to allow great discretion on the part of law enforcement authorities in conducting searches, particularly in cases involving the use of, or trafficking in, illegal substances. In Washington v. Chrisman, the Court interpreted the so-called "plain view rule" broadly and allowed police officers to presume that every arrest presents a risk to the arresting officer, thus freeing police officers from "reviewing courts' after-the-fact assessment of the particular arrest situation."