What does "plain view discovery" allow a law enforcement officer to do?

"Plain view discovery" is a legal doctrine that allows law enforcement officers to seize items that are immediately apparent as evidence without a warrant. For a seizure to be justified under this doctrine, the officer must be lawfully present in the location where they view the item, and the item must be immediately recognizable as having evidentiary value. This helps maintain the balance between individual rights and the interests of law enforcement by ensuring that items that are in plain sight can be acted upon to prevent the destruction or removal of evidence.

This principle emphasizes that the seized item must be immediately apparent as evidence without requiring further inspection, which is why the specified answer is correct. The doctrine ensures that officers can act promptly when they observe evidence of a crime without needing to go through the lengthy process of obtaining a warrant, provided they are legally positioned to see it.