Cal.6: RS existed for only a few seconds and dissipated but police continued the detention; consent came during invalid arrest

Defendant consented to a patdown which produced a small hard object that resulted in his handcuffing. It was a diamond, and the handcuffing stopped, but the stop didn’t. “We agree with defendant that, once police realized the object was a diamond, they lacked probable cause to keep him under arrest for drug possession. The only other basis for the arrest—a vague and uncorroborated claim by an informant—did not constitute probable cause.” Thus, the request for consent came during an unlawful arrest, and the consent was invalid. People v. Espino, 2016 Cal. App. LEXIS 415 (6th Dist. May 24, 2016):
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HuffPo: IRS Returns Bakery’s Money After 3 Years. Now It Wants To Put The Owners In Prison.

HuffPo: IRS Returns Bakery’s Money After 3 Years. Now It Wants To Put The Owners In Prison by Nick Wing:

Another small business gets chewed up and spit out by the civil asset forfeiture machine.

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WaPo: ‘The Watch’ Blog: Once again, body cameras are only as good as the policies that come with them

WaPo: ‘The Watch’ Blog: Once again, body cameras are only as good as the policies that come with them by Radley Balko:

The takeaway from this study is not that body cameras fail to minimize violence between police and citizens, but that it’s critical that (a) body cameras are implemented with sound policies and procedures to govern their use, and (b) police officers are required to abide by those policies.

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W.D.Tex.: Criminal defense lawyers state 4A claim against jail phone co. for recording attorney-client calls

The plaintiff lawyers group, an association of criminal defense lawyers, have standing in their own right and individually to complain of recording of attorney-client telephone calls from the Travis County Jail. They also state a claim under the Fourth Amendment for unreasonable search and seizure because they have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their attorney-client calls. Securus on its website says it doesn’t record attorney-client calls, but the plaintiffs plausibly allege otherwise. Austin Lawyers Guild v. Securus Technologies, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 178047 (W.D.Tex. Feb. 4, 2015) (USMJ R&R):
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D.Neb.: Consent also shown by def’s action of opening bag when requested

Defendant consented to a search of his bag by one officer when others were present. Consent was also by implication by opening it when requested. United States v. Garcia, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 66061 (D.Neb. May 19, 2016).

Officers had reasonable suspicion to believe defendant was potentially involved in a shooting incident. Responding to a shots fired call at night, they encountered two men who sort of fit the description of the men involved. One stopped to talk to the officers, but the other sped up his pace and walked away and wouldn’t look at the officers and then reached to his side like he was checking for a weapon. Scisney v. State, 2016 Ind. App. LEXIS 162 (May 20, 2016).*

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D.N.J.: Flight from a stop isn’t a seizure

Defendant’s former girlfriend reported to police that he’d threatened her with a gun. Police found him exactly matching the description, and they got out of the car and told him to stop. He threw down his backpack and fled. The unmistakable sound of the gun hitting the concrete was heard. He was not “seized” when he fled, and, even if he was, it was with reasonable suspicion. United States v. Wilson, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 66183 (D.N.J. May 19, 2016).*

An attorney was not a state actor when she revealed a client fraud after the client accused the attorney of fraud. The attorney’s testimony was not admissible under state law, but the documents provided would have inevitably been discovered. Toston v. State, 2016 Nev. App. LEXIS 202 (May 17, 2016).*

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S.D.Ind.: Where factual basis for stop, pretext fails

Because there was a factual basis for defendant’s stop, defendant’s pretext argument that the officer was looking for his guns fails. United States v. Parker, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 62140 (S.D.Ind. May 11, 2016).*

Defendant’s unsafe lane change justified a stop. [And the court took 50 pages of form and a reference to Scalia as a “current” member of SCOTUS (n.5) to get to it.] United States v. Vance, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64699 (D.N.M. May 16, 2016).*

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D.Ore.: Admission of drugs in car, an illegal knife, lying about another knife, and an arrest warrant was RS for a weapons search

After a valid traffic stop, officers had reasonable suspicion to search a bag for weapons based on an admission by one occupant there were drugs in the car, an outstanding felony warrant on the driver, and two knives (one illegal and the other lied about). United States v. Wilson, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65963 (D.Ore. May 18, 2016).

Defendant’s motion for new trial included the previously denied motions to suppress which are not found justification for granting the motion. United States v. Fifer, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65590 (C.D.Ill. May 18, 2016);* United States v. Melero, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65839 (N.D.Ill. May 19, 2016).*

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S.D.Iowa: Cell phone in halfway house in violation of rules subject to supervised release search condition

Improper possession of a cell phone in a halfway house made the phone subject to search and seizure under the “parole exception” of Knights. Defendant also had a search condition on him, and signs at the halfway house warned of this happening. United States v. Jackson, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64046 (S.D.Iowa May 4, 2016), adopted 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64045 (S.D. Iowa May 16, 2016).

Defendant alleged in his 2255 that defense counsel didn’t properly challenge the search. Going to the merits of the search, it was based on a valid plain view. Since that ground for a motion to suppress was completely unmeritorious, defense counsel couldn’t be ineffective. United States v. Chambers, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 62995 (M.D.Pa. May 12, 2016).*

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N.D.Cal.: Civil seizures of counterfeit goods under 15 U.S.C. § 1116 are governed by the Fourth Amendment

Civil seizures of counterfeit goods under 15 U.S.C. § 1116 are governed by the Fourth Amendment. United States v. Shayota, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64388 (N.D.Cal. May 13, 2016):
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W.D.N.Y.: Accidental inclusion of another address in SW papers wasn’t prejudicial where the correct address was prominent

A typo in the address from including an address from a prior warrant at the end but where the correct address was at the time was hardly prejudicial. If the latter address had been searched, that would be really important, but defendant wasn’t prejudiced here. United States v. Rivera, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64851 (W.D.N.Y. May 17, 2016).

Officers lawfully entered the door of defendant’s hotel room to arrest him because he didn’t fully come out. A protective sweep was permissible because they factually had at least reasonable suspicion to believe that was another person inside. United States v. Cervino-Hernandez, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65410 (D.Neb. April 28, 2016).*

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MD: DUI stop and arrest permits search incident for source of intoxication

“Under Arizona v. Gant, 556 U.S. 332 (2009), when a police officer validly arrests a motorist for driving under the influence of alcohol, in the absence of facts indicating otherwise, the officer, based on his or her knowledge and experience, may reasonably conclude that open containers or other evidence bearing on the DUI offense may be present in the passenger compartment of the vehicle and conduct a search for such evidence, even though the defendant has been safely secured and has no access to the vehicle.” Taylor v. State, 2016 Md. LEXIS 292 (May 23, 2016)

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N.D.Okla.: “Playpen” website SW invalid as outside USMJ’s jurisdiction and no GFE, but a case contra, too

In the fifth Tor “Dark Net” case involving the child pornography “Playpen” website where the government took over the website and moved it to Virginia, this court, applying Tenth Circuit precedent, finds the USMJ lacked jurisdiction to issue a search warrant outside the jurisdiction and this failure was fundamental and the good faith exception could not apply. The government’s claim of exigency fails because it was running the website, and that “exigency” it created. United States v. Arterbury, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67091 (N.D.Okla. April 25, 2016).

The decisions now conflict based on the circuit. Contra is United States v. Werdene, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 66311 (E.D.Pa. May 18, 2016).

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W.D.N.C.: Wired CI invaded no REP in transmitting audio and video to waiting officers

Defendants admitted a wired CI into a home for a drug deal. The CI transmitted real time to officers outside audio and video of the drugs and guns. No reasonable expectation of privacy was involved. He could see exactly what they wanted him to see. United States v. Vanover, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 66723 (W.D.N.C. May 20, 2016):
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CA6: Absent renter of motel room could consent to search after def arrested and removed

Defendant was wanted for being a serial robber in Chattanooga, and the FBI located him at a motel. They attempted a ruse to get him out of the room, but he didn’t fall for it. They used a master key card to enter, and arrested him after Tasing him. Once out of the room, he denied any responsibility for its contents. Police got consent from the woman who rented the room who spent an hour there before leaving and planning to return to spend the night. Once indicted, he moved to suppress the search. The renter could validly consent to its search. [The court doesn’t even discuss likely abandonment from defendant’s denial of connection with the room.] United States v. Eastman, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 9290 (6th Cir. May 18, 2016).*

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Two on exigency and DUI blood draws

The record, including medical records from the hospital, support the trial court’s findings that defendant was alert and competent and consented to the blood draw. State’s exigency argument doesn’t need to be addressed. State v. Cooper, 2016-Ohio-3093, 2016 Ohio App. LEXIS 1944 (6th Dist. May 20, 2016).*

There was no exigency for defendant’s blood draw, and the implied consent law is not a substitute. State v. Carter, 2016 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 376 (May 20, 2016).*

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New American: Illinois Lawmakers Unanimously Pass Ban on Unwarranted Stingray Surveillance

New American: Illinois Lawmakers Unanimously Pass Ban on Unwarranted Stingray Surveillance by Joe Wolverton:
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E.D.Wis.: The inferences for RS offered here simply aren’t reasonable

After a robbery report, the two apparent suspects had been arrested. Yet, the investigation continued and stopped defendant in the vicinity, and the inferences used to justify it aren’t even reasonable. “Even crediting Deputy Niles’s testimony that store robberies typically involve a getaway driver (and there is no reason not to), the officers still did not have sufficient articulable facts that would support a reasonable suspicion to believe that Mr. Street, in particular, was the missing cohort. Indeed, this suspicion could have been reasonable under only two scenarios: (1) Mr. Street was the getaway driver, or (2) Mr. Street was one of the two men who entered the Verizon store. Based on the facts known to law enforcement at the time of the stop, neither inference would have been reasonable.” “Aside from being one of the only black males in the crowd, Mr. Street stood out, according to Deputy Niles, because he walked straight ahead, held a cell phone to his ear, and did not make eye contact with anyone else. These facts, however, do not add anything to the reasonable suspicion analysis.” United States v. Keycie, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64229 (E.D.Wis. Mar. 28, 2016),* adopted 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64222 (E.D. Wis. May 16, 2016).*

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FL5: Pre-Riley cell phone search incident valid under Davis GFE

Pre-Riley cell phone search incident: “We agree that the initial search violated Burton’s Fourth Amendment rights but nevertheless affirm the denial of his motion to suppress evidence based on the exception to the exclusionary rule articulated by the United States Supreme Court in Davis v. United States, 564 U.S. 229, 231-32 (2011).” Burton v. State, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 7714 (Fla. 5th DCA May 20, 2016).

Defendant’s probation search was based on reasonable suspicion and wasn’t arbitrary. His probation officer reasonably suspected he was a regular marijuana user based on his own admissions, and the PO requested police do the search, which turned up marijuana. Whitfield v. State, 2016 Ga. App. LEXIS 286 (May 19, 2016).*

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