Final answer:
a) left in plain view by the owner and b) left in an open field by the owner
If property is abandoned by the owner, it is not protected under the Fourth Amendment, meaning police do not need a warrant for search or seizure. The Fourth Amendment generally protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, but exceptions do apply, particularly when there is no reasonable expectation of privacy as established through various Supreme Court rulings and landmark cases.
Step-by-step explanation:
If property is abandoned by the owner, any police search or seizure of the property is not covered by the Fourth Amendment. The options a) left in plain view by the owner and b) left in an open field by the owner do not grant automatic immunity from the Fourth Amendment's protections, but the courts have often ruled that there is a lesser expectation of privacy in these instances.
However, when property is abandoned, it has generally been held that the owner no longer retains a reasonable expectation of privacy, thereby removing Fourth Amendment protections.
The Fourth Amendment was designed to protect individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. It requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant before conducting a search or seizure, although there are exceptions for things like items in plain view, exigent circumstances, and when evidence is at serious risk of being destroyed.
Landmark cases such as Mapp v. Ohio have further reinforced the principles of the Fourth Amendment, establishing that illegally obtained evidence is inadmissible in court.