Main content

Delayed-Notice Search Warrant Report 2020

Summary and Analysis

Summary data on requests for delayed-notice search warrants and extensions for fiscal year 2020 appear in Table 1. A total of 19,478 warrant requests were reported. Of these warrant requests, 19,432 were granted, 30 were granted as modified, and 16 were denied. A total of 11,638 requests for extensions were reported; of these requests for extensions, 11,596 were granted, 38 were granted as modified, and 4 were denied.

Judges in 92 federal judicial districts reported actions on requests for delayed-notice search warrants or extensions. Of the requests for warrants and extensions, 428 were reported by federal district judges, and 30,688 were reported by federal magistrate judges.

Five districts (the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of New York, District of Arizona, Southern District of California, and Northern District of Ohio) received 31 percent of all reported applications (see data below).

Top Five Districts Receiving Applications for Delayed-Notice Search Warrants or Extensions

District	Total Requests	Warrants	Extensions
Eastern District of Michigan	3,788	901	2,887
Southern District of New York	2,220	2,144	76
District of Arizona	1,441	611	830
Southern District of California	1,214	887	327
Northern District of Ohio	998	339	659

For warrants, the most frequently reported period of delay was 30 days, which was specified in 12,703 (65 percent) of the applications that were granted. For extensions, the most frequently reported period of delay was 90 days, which was specified in 9,475 (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 2020. 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 8 percent of warrants. Offenses involving weapons, the third-most frequently cited offense category, were specified in 5 percent of warrants.