What did Payton v. New York determine about police entering homes?

The determination made in Payton v. New York primarily established that police officers need to obtain a warrant before they can enter a person's home to make an arrest, except in exigent circumstances where immediate action is necessary to prevent harm, destruction of evidence, or escape of a suspect. This case firmly reinforced the Fourth Amendment rights regarding the privacy of one's home, emphasizing that an individual's home is a place of heightened protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.

In essence, unless there is an emergency requiring immediate intervention, law enforcement must respect the privacy of a residence and follow proper legal protocols by securing a warrant before conducting an arrest inside the home. This ruling upholds the principle that the home is a sanctuary, and the intrusion by police must be justified with a warrant in non-emergency situations.