What must police do before searching a third party’s home for an arrest warrant subject?

For police to search a third party's home related to the arrest of a subject, they must obtain a separate search warrant for that home. This requirement stems from the Fourth Amendment, which protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures. The rationale is that a person's home is a private space, and law enforcement must demonstrate probable cause to a neutral magistrate to justify the intrusion into that privacy.

When an arrest warrant is issued for a specific individual, it does not grant police blanket permission to search any location. The police must articulate to a judge the reason they believe evidence of the suspect's presence or other pertinent evidence is located in the third-party's home. Without this separate warrant, any evidence seized could be deemed inadmissible in court due to the violation of the homeowner's Fourth Amendment rights.

The other options, while they may seem reasonable in certain contexts, do not align with the legal requirements regarding search warrants and warrant execution. Notifying the homeowner, interviewing neighbors, or waiting for the suspect do not fulfill the necessary provision of law enforcement requiring a specific judicial order to search a private residence. Thus, obtaining a separate search warrant is the key legal obligation before proceeding with the search of a third party's home.