My guess:
1. Save time from calling a magistrate
2. They want to go on a fishing spree for evidence. Warrants (and probable) need to specify what it is they are searching for (IE computers, papers, weapons, etc). General searches aren't allowed....unless they are consented.
“Family members of Jared Loughner apparently had put on 4-by-4 double-thick plywood that blocked access to the front porch of their north Tucson home.”