What authority do officers have when a person is arrested regardless of the offense?

When an individual is arrested, officers have the authority to conduct a search of the person being arrested as part of a search incident to arrest. This practice is grounded in the legal principle that is aimed at ensuring officer safety and the preservation of evidence. The rationale behind this is that, at the moment of arrest, officers need to mitigate the risk of the individual carrying weapons or other potential evidence that could be destroyed or concealed.

Searching the individual allows officers to secure any items that could pose a threat, such as weapons, and to secure evidence related to the offense for which the person is being arrested. This authority is not dependent on the specific offense; it applies broadly to arrests made by law enforcement officers as part of their duties.

In contrast to this, searching vehicles or premises generally requires additional justification, such as probable cause, consent, or a search warrant, which is not automatically granted by the mere act of arresting someone.