Delayed-Notice Search Warrant Report 2021

Summary and Analysis

Summary data on requests for delayed-notice search warrants and extensions for fiscal year 2021 appear in Table 1. A total of 19,666 warrant requests were reported. Of these warrant requests, 19,598 were granted, 16 were granted as modified, and 52 were denied. A total of 12,616 requests for extensions were reported; of these requests for extensions, 12,547 were granted, 66 were granted as modified, and 3 were denied.

Judges in 93 federal judicial districts reported actions on requests for delayed-notice search warrants or extensions. Of the requests for warrants and extensions, 633 were reported by federal district judges, and 31,648 were reported by federal magistrate judges.

Five districts (the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of New York, Southern District of California, District of Arizona and Eastern District of California) received 29 percent of all reported applications (see data below).

For warrants, the most frequently reported period of delay was 30 days, which was specified in 12,745 (65 percent) of the applications that were granted. For extensions, the most frequently reported period of delay was 90 days, which was specified in 10,168 (81 percent) of the applications that were granted.

Table 2 presents data on the offenses specified in reported requests for delayed-notice search warrants and extensions reported for 2021. Drug offenses, which continued to be the crimes cited most often in these requests, were specified in 70 percent of warrants. Fraud, the second-most frequently cited offense category, was specified in 6 percent of warrants. Offenses involving weapons, the third-most frequently cited offense category, were specified in 5 percent of warrants.