True or False: Flight from a misdemeanor suspect justifies a hot pursuit search.

In criminal procedure, the concept of "hot pursuit" generally requires that law enforcement is pursuing a suspect who is believed to be involved in a felony, not merely a misdemeanor. The rationale behind this rule is that the urgency and potential public safety concerns associated with felonies warrant a greater allowance for police to take immediate action, including entering premises without a warrant.

Flight from a misdemeanor suspect does not typically meet the legal threshold to justify a hot pursuit search. The potential for immediate danger or the need for swift action associated with felonies is not present in most misdemeanor cases. Therefore, the police would generally need to obtain a warrant or have some other justifiable means to conduct a search if the suspect is fleeing in relation to a misdemeanor offense.

This reflects a more careful balancing of individual rights against the needs of law enforcement, underscoring the higher scrutiny given to searches involving a potential violation of constitutional protections when dealing with lesser offenses. Thus, the claim that flight from a misdemeanor suspect alone justifies a hot pursuit search is false.