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468
State v. Brown
Cite as 356 Ark. 460 (2004)
[356


600, 80 S.W.3d 332 (2002); State v. Sullivan, 348 Ark. 647, 74 S.W.3d 215 (2002); Griffin v. State, supra. Indeed, in Griffin, we underscored this point:

. . . However, we base our analysis of this case upon our own state law as expressed by our state constitution, statutes, and cases, recognizing that while we lack authority to extend the protections of the Fourth Amendment beyond the holdings of the United States Supreme Court, we do have the authority to impose greater restrictions on police activities in our state based upon our own state law than those the Supreme Court holds to be necessary based upon federal constitutional standards. See Arkansas v. Sullivan, 532 U.S. 769 (2001).

347 Ark. at 792, 67 S.W.3d at 584.

It is true that in Stout v. State, 320 Ark. 552, 898 S.W.2d 457 (1995), which involved the search of a motor vehicle, this court stated that we would interpret Article 2, § 15, in the same manner as the United States Supreme Court interpreted the Fourth Amendment. But the Stout case involved the search of a motor vehicle, and we noted in Stout that it seemed especially appropriate to follow Fourth Amendment interpretations, because of the difficulty in balancing interests and setting rules for search and seizure of automobiles. The case before us concerns the search of a home, which is altogether different and which invokes Arkansas' longstanding and steadfast adherence to the sanctity of the home and protection against unreasonable government intrusions.

Article 2, § 15, of the Arkansas Constitution reads in relevant part:

The right of the people of this State to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated; and no warrant shall issue except upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the person or thing to be seized.

Ark. Const. art. 2, § 15. This provision was adopted as part of the 1874 Arkansas Constitution and is almost identical to the Fourth Amendment. In Griffin v. State, supra, we traced the history of this constitutional provision and the reasoning behind it:

The principle that a man's home is his castle, and that even the King is prohibited from unreasonably intruding upon that home,