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Police not required to show search warrant right away 

Legal experts say authorities must show a search warrant at some point, or at least leave a copy of the warrant behind, but they say the police are not required to show a warrant at the outset of a raid, even if someone is demanding to see one.

Still, legal experts say it's a good idea to show a warrant at the beginning -- unless the police believe evidence is being destroyed or a situation is spiraling out of control, placing the police or other people in danger.

The issue arose during the trial of seven Narragansetts accused of resisting arrest and fighting with the police during a July 14, 2003, raid, which stopped the tribe from selling tax-free cigarettes from a roadside store on tribal land in Charlestown.

On Friday, a Superior Court jury returned 4 guilty verdicts and 12 not-guilty verdicts. Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas was found guilty of simple assault but not guilty of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest

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