The execution of a warrant obtained through oral testimony is subject to the same laws and principles that govern execution of any other search warrant. In addition, the person who executes the warrant must enter the exact time of execution on the face of the warrant.
Minn. R. Crim. P. 36.08
The procedure found in Rule 36 is derived from State v. Lindsey, 473 N.W.2d 857 (Minn. 1993).
Minn. Stat. § 626.16, which requires that a written document be prepared for presentation to the person whose premises or property is searched, or that can be left on the premises if no persons are present, mandates the preparation of the duplicate warrant in Rule 36.03. Judges and judicial officers who may receive oral warrant requests at home are advised to have appropriate forms available for preparation of the original warrant.
Judges are cautioned to avoid engaging in any preliminary unrecorded and unsworn conversation with the officer or prosecutor. See ABA Guidelines for the Issuance of Search Warrants, Guideline 11(3) (1990).
The officer and the judge must keep in mind that in addition to the special requirements for issuance of an oral warrant, all other requirements for the issuance of a warrant must also be met, including the basis for a no-knock and nighttime warrant. See Minn. Stat. §§626.01-.18; 629.30.
Rules 36.07 and 36.08 emphasize that the use of the oral warrant process does not justify any other departures from traditional warrant law and practice.