CA2: Parole search valid under “special needs” even without RS

The parole search here lacked reasonable suspicion, but it was justified by the special needs exception to the warrant requirement. “Because a search undertaken by a parole officer of a parolee to detect parole violations is ‘reasonably related to the parole officer’s duties,’ such a search is ‘permissible’ under the Special Needs framework and accordingly ‘comport[s] with the Fourth Amendment.’ Grimes, 225 F.3d at 259 n.4; see Huntley, 43 N.Y.2d at 181 (explaining that a parole officer’s duties include ‘detect[ing] and prevent[ing] parole violations for the protection of the public from the further commission of crimes’). The district court erred in holding that reasonable suspicion was required in this context.” United States v. Braggs, 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 20623 (2d Cir. July 13, 2021). (One can argue about reasonable suspicion being present.)

Allegations in the affidavit for warrant show that defendant was using her cell phone to communicate about the crime. That factually supports the warrant. It is not just based on the “ubiquitousness” of cell phones in modern life. Commonwealth v. Lowery, 2021 Mass. LEXIS 435 (July 13, 2021).