Delayed-Notice Search Warrant Report 2022

Summary and Analysis

Summary data on requests for delayed-notice search warrants and extensions for fiscal year 2022 appear in Table 1. A total of 18,229 warrant requests were reported. Of these warrant requests, 18,157 were granted, 17 were granted as modified, and 55 were denied. A total of 10,180 requests for extensions were reported; of these requests for extensions, 10,163 were granted, 9 were granted as modified, and 8 were denied.

Judges in 94 federal judicial districts reported actions on requests for delayed-notice search warrants or extensions. Of the requests for warrants and extensions, 501 were reported by federal district judges, and 27,889 were reported by federal magistrate judges.

Five districts (the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of California, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of California, and Southern District of Texas) received 26 percent of all reported applications (see data below).

For warrants, the most frequently reported period of delay was 30 days, which was specified in 11,426 (63 percent) of the applications that were granted. For extensions, the most frequently reported period of delay was 90 days, which was specified in 8,056 (79 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 2022. Drug offenses, which continued to be the crimes cited most often in these requests, were specified in 71 percent of warrants. Fraud, the second-most frequently cited offense category, was specified in 7 percent of warrants. Offenses involving weapons, the third-most frequently cited offense category, were specified in 6 percent of warrants.