What constraints apply to protective sweeps conducted by peace officers?

The correct choice indicates that protective sweeps conducted by peace officers are constrained to adjacent non-public areas. This limitation is in place to balance officer safety with the rights of individuals and the privacy of their homes. When officers conduct a protective sweep, the primary goal is to ensure there are no individuals present who could pose a threat to the officers themselves or others during an enforcement action, such as an arrest.

By restricting these sweeps to adjacent non-public areas, officers focus their search to areas where someone may realistically hide and pose a danger, while also respecting the rights of individuals in more private spaces. This approach avoids a broader search that could infringe upon constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

In this context, the suggestion that sweeps can extend to any part of the building would be too broad and potentially violate these constitutional protections. Targeting only known suspects does not align with the intent of a protective sweep, which is a precautionary measure rather than a targeted arrest operation. The concept of requiring probable cause is also not applicable to protective sweeps, as their basis lies more in officer safety rather than the necessity for a warrant or probable cause typically required for searches.