techdirt: Fourth Circuit Appeals Court Announces It’s Going To Rethink Its Geofence Warrant Decision — Chatrie

techdirt: Fourth Circuit Appeals Court Announces It’s Going To Rethink Its Geofence Warrant Decision by Tim Cushing, noted here.

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D.Alaska: Unsigned SW affidavit still in GF where officer was sworn

The affidavit for warrant was unsigned by the officer but he had been sworn before the warrant issued. The good faith exception saves this search. United States v. Hampton, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 200326 (D. Alaska Nov. 4, 2024)

Defendant’s traffic stop was reasonably extended because he didn’t have his DL and a warrant surfaced for him. United States v. Birry, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 199550 (M.D. Pa. Nov. 4, 2024).*

In defendant’s appeal, the merits of the good faith question was decided 2-1, and rearguing it as an ineffective assistance of counsel claim goes nowhere because he still loses on the merits. Smith v. United States, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 199681 (W.D. Mich. Nov. 4, 2024).*

The collective knowledge doctrine applies to the officer making a traffic stop at the request of the DEA even when they don’t tell him why to make the stop. United States v. Greatsinger, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 199769 (D. Conn. Nov. 4, 2024).*

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Reason: Cop who fired blindly into Breonna Taylor’s home is convicted of violating her constitutional rights

Reason: Cop who fired blindly into Breonna Taylor’s home is convicted of violating her constitutional rights by Jacob Sullum (“Former Louisville detective Brett Hankison was convicted of violating Taylor’s Fourth Amendment rights during the deadly 2020 raid.”):

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E.D.Pa.: Remedy for illegal search is to move to suppress, not to dismiss the case

A ground to suppress a search belongs in a motion to suppress, not to dismiss the indictment. United States v. Bailey, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 198707 (E.D. Pa. Oct. 31, 2024).

The search warrant didn’t provide the address of the place to be searched, but it included a photograph, and the right place was searched. Particularity was satisfied. United States v. Gumbs, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 199320 (D. Conn. Nov. 3, 2024).*

Defendant’s spontaneous admission of a criminal offense when he got out of his car was probable cause. State v. Creech, 2024-Ohio-5245 (12th Dist. Nov. 4, 2024).*

Plaintiff’s traffic court Fourth Amendment claims are barred by limitations and because it lacks any factual basis. Dibenedetto v. Coley, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 27858 (2d Cir. Nov. 4, 2024).*

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IN: Search of passenger’s bag in car before handing it over so he could leave was reasonable when there was PC as to the car

After a traffic stop of a rental vehicle produced a marijuana smell, the driver and passenger were detained. The passenger was shortly let go and asked for his bag from the car. The officer’s search of the bag before handing it back was reasonable. More marijuana was found. Bradford v. State, 2024 Ind. App. LEXIS 303 (Oct. 2, 2024).

There was probable cause, but even if there wasn’t, the good faith exception applies. United States v. McGraw-Williams, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 198734 (D. Minn. Oct. 31, 2024).*

“As best as I can tell, the only issue raised in the latter motion that is not raised in the former is the absurd suggestion that because Mr. Moslem and his son met with their accountant Stephen Strauhs in their place of business behind closed doors, it somehow violated their Fourth Amendment rights for Strauhs to testify about those conversations. ‘[A] defendant does not have a privacy interest in matters voluntarily revealed to a government agent, including a confidential informant.’ ….” United States v. Moslem, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 199056 n.1 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 1, 2024).*

The response to the R&R that the USMJ misapplied state law under the Fourth Amendment is not an issue for federal court. United States v. Millan, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 199153 (W.D.N.Y. Nov. 1, 2024).*

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Immigration: Administrative Arrest Warrants: Armed Encounters Outside the Judicial Process

Administrative Arrest Warrants: Armed Encounters Outside the Judicial Process by Meg Mary Margaret Penrose, 33 Cornell J. L. & Pub. Pol. 389-435 (2024):

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D.D.C.: Seizure of def’s car keys from his friend was without PC

“The seizure of the keys from Williams’s friend was unlawful because the officers did not have probable cause to believe that the keys were evidence of a crime and the plain view doctrine did not apply.” Motion to suppress granted as to that. United States v. Williams, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 197664 (D.D.C. Oct. 31, 2024).

Defendant’s flight from the police was the state crime of obstruction which gave them probable cause to arrest. United States v. Alvarez, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 198438 (D. Colo. Oct. 31, 2024).*

Hearsay is admissible at a suppression hearing on what the officers were acting on. State v. Hunt, 2024 La. App. LEXIS 1788 (La. App. 4th Cir. Oct. 31, 2024).*

The exclusionary rule doesn’t apply to probation revocations. Trottman v. State, 2024 Del. LEXIS 367 (Oct. 31, 2024).*

Failure to brief the Fourth Amendment in the post-trial brief was waiver. Dep’t of Sanitation v. Anonymous, 2024 NYLJ LEXIS 3515 (ALJ Sept. 9, 2024).*

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E.D.N.C.: Search incident of bag of handcuffed suspect surrounded by six officers was unreasonable

Search incident of bag of a handcuffed defendant surrounded by six officers and being attended by paramedics was unreasonable. “The Government argues that Allen could have slipped free of his handcuffs and lunged for the bags, but such gymnastics are extraordinarily unlikely. While Allen may have shown great strength in fighting with the officers at the time of his initial takedown, by the time the bags were searched twenty minutes later, any threat he may have posed had dissipated.” United States v. Allen, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 198666 (E.D.N.C. Oct. 31, 2024).

The affidavit for search warrant was not bare bones, and there wasn’t a false statement to overcome the good faith exception. United States v. Peterson, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 27729 (6th Cir. Oct. 30, 2024).*

“No one suggested to the ATF agents here that the residence consisted of two separate apartments. And even if the Zillow search and exterior entrance might have given the agents some reason to suspect that 3696 Blackmer Road was a multi-unit residence, their observation of the home’s interior through the CI’s video recording, their personal observation of the single address—3696—affixed to the home, and their verification with USPS reasonably dispelled any such suspicions. Because the evidence available to the agents does not suggest that they knew or should have known prior to the search that the residence was subdivided, we find the warrant was sufficiently particular and valid.” United States v. Nester, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 27728 (6th Cir. Oct. 30, 2024).*

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TX12: Texas livestock officer lacked general law enforcement powers

A special ranger employed by the Texas & Southwest Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) recognized as part of the Texas DPS held himself out to be a law enforcement officer. Special rangers are limited to livestock and limited offenses. Instead, he was investigating pictures sent to a minor. He was [way] outside his limited authority and it’s suppressed. The Texas exclusionary rule protects against pretend officers, too. State v. Coleman, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 7788 (Tex. App. – Tyler Oct. 31, 2024).

The factual issues involving whether defendant’s arrest remain unsettled for an ineffective assistance claim, so the court will conduct a hearing on that. United States v. Jenkins, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 198122 (E.D. Ky. Oct. 31, 2024).*

Defendant’s cell phone (if it was his) was in the custody of the government for over two years. He refused to provide the passcode. He doesn’t expressly claim the phone is his. He seeks access to the phone to look at it and then would re-lock it and give it back. There’s no authority for this. United States v. Gray, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 198035 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 30, 2024).*

Defendant seeks to segregate the facts to show a lack of reasonable suspicion, but that’s not how it works. It’s the totality. United States v. Rivera, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 198181 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 31, 2024).*

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S.D.Ill.: Code enforcement officer’s entry to construction site to stop work was not a “search”

A code enforcement officer’s entry onto plaintiff’s construction site to stop work in violation of the city code was not a Fourth Amendment search. And it was otherwise reasonable. Kindle v. Eisert, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 198527 (S.D. Ill. Oct. 31, 2024).

“The district court must balance a defendant’s Fourth Amendment rights against the government’s ‘substantial’ interest in a ‘proper and effective supervision.’ … The interest in proper and effective supervision necessitates suspicionless searches here.” United States v. Dority, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 27645 (2d Cir. Oct. 31, 2024).*

The FBI SWAT team came to defendant’s house to serve a search warrant with an armored vehicle parked outside. He came out backwards as instructed in shorts and a t-shirt. He was told he was free to go. “A reasonable innocent person, told he is free to leave by an FBI Agent, would believe it on the totality of these facts.” United States v. Lightner, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 197806 (M.D. Fla. Oct. 31, 2024).*

2255 petitioner didn’t plead anything to show that search warrant here was obtained in bad faith or that anything could be suppressed. Molina v. United States, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 197952 (N.D. Tex. Oct. 31, 2024).*

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Ammoland: NYC Weapon Sensing Tech Fails, Investigations into Misconduct

Ammoland: NYC Weapon Sensing Tech Fails, Investigations into Misconduct by John Crump:

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LA Times: L.A. man wearing GPS ankle monitor is accused of a robbery spree. Officials can’t track him

LA Times: L.A. man wearing GPS ankle monitor is accused of a robbery spree. Officials can’t track him by Matthew Ormseth (“A 19-year-old Los Angeles man was arrested five times in five months, including for robberies that he is suspected of committing while under court-ordered GPS tracking. The case raises questions about how effectively the Probation Department is supervising pretrial defendants at a time when judges increasingly turn to GPS monitoring as an alternative to jail.”)

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NY1: Failure to controvert any facts or make an argument justifies denying suppression hearing

“Although the felony complaint, indictment, voluntary disclosure form, arraignment transcript, and search warrant affidavit disclosed to defendant provided him with ‘detailed information about the sequence of events leading up to his arrest’ …, he failed to controvert the specific information provided by the People or to establish any other basis for suppression.” People v. Kayumov, 2024 NY Slip Op 05415, 2024 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 5670 (1st Dept. Oct. 31, 2024).*

Even though the arrest was outside the house, the protective sweep doctrine guards against risks from those unseen and even inside. Moore v. United States, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 197533 (E.D.N.C. Oct. 30, 2024).

Reasonable suspicion isn’t required for a police database records check. Toyer v. United States, 2024 D.C. App. LEXIS 394 (Oct. 31, 2024).*

There was nexus and probable cause for the search warrant for defendant’s cell phone. Also, the good faith exception applies. United States v. Lopez, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 197654 (D. Minn. Oct. 31, 2024).*

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D.D.C.: Subpoena to govt contractor wasn’t too burdensome

As narrowed by the parties, the subpoena to Office Depot as a government contractor wasn’t too burdensome. United States v. Office Depot, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 197661 (D.D.C. Oct. 31, 2024)*:

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CA5: Police shooting from behind after escalating violent situation was not unreasonable

The police shooting here from behind was not unreasonable on the totality. “When McVae threw the rock, Trooper Perez had to make an immediate reflexive decision of how to protect himself in a rapidly evolving situation against an increasingly violent individual who had repeatedly resisted lesser forms of force. … Plaintiffs’ use of several frame-by-frame screenshots from the body camera footage to dissect events that occurred in less than 2.5 seconds is the ‘sort of Monday morning quarterbacking’ that our precedent proscribes. … [¶] A reasonable officer could have believed that McVae posed a threat of serious harm even if he was running away and unarmed in the exact moment that Trooper Perez shot him.” McVae v. Perez, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 27567 (5th Cir. Oct. 30, 2024).*

Defense counsel’s failure to call as a witness the judge who approved the arrest warrant as a witness wouldn’t change the result on post-conviction. State v. Mayfield, 2024 Del. Super. LEXIS 727 (Oct. 28, 2024).*

On post-conviction “Mr. Mayfield suggests that his rights guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment were violated by a ‘failure to conduct [a] pretrial investigation,’” but that’s purely conclusory and shows nothing. State v. Mayfield, 2024 Del. Super. LEXIS 727 (Oct. 28, 2024).*

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Bloomberg Law: Full Fourth Circuit Will Rehear Google Geofence Warrants Case

Bloomberg Law: Full Fourth Circuit Will Rehear Google Geofence Warrants Case by Cassandre Coyer. The panel opinion is United States v. Chatrie, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 16692 (4th Cir. July 9, 2024) (2-1), and posted here.

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OR: Backpack’s inventory on admission to treatment facility was reasonable

Police could inventory defendant’s backpack when he was picked up and transported to a treatment facility. Inventory was provided for by local ordinance. The same policies apply to inventory even if defendant isn’t in jail. State v. Wilcox, 335 Or App 743 (Oct. 30, 2024).

In a civil rights prosecution for an officer firing a gun through a curtained window during a search, proffered 404(b) evidence are other alleged bad acts during execution of other warrants. United States v. Hankison, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 197147 (W.D. Ky. Oct. 30, 2024).*

Officers could conduct a knock-and-talk at defendant’s house. While officers walked down the sides of his shotgun house, the sides were visible from the street, but they were only looking for escape routes. So there was no violation of curtilage that mattered. State v. Barnett, 2024 La. App. LEXIS 1771 (La. App. 5 Cir. Oct. 30, 2024).*

Considering the deference owed warrants, defendant had the burden of showing a lack of probable cause, and he failed. The CI was familiar with methamphetamine, and he was corroborated by the investigation. United States v. Ray, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 197057 (N.D. Ala. Sep. 26, 2024).*

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WI: Social media TOS agreements show no REP in CP

The Terms of Service agreements of social media platforms state that they are required by law to report child pornography. Therefore, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in one’s files that are child pornography. State v. Gasper, 2024 Wisc. App. LEXIS 914 (Oct. 30, 2024):

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CA2: 4A doesn’t incorporate state procedural rules and statutes

The constitution doesn’t incorporate state criminal procedural rules and statutes, and a violation of them doesn’t make a Fourth Amendment violation. See Virginia v. Moore. McCullough v. Graves, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 27503 (2d Cir. Oct. 30, 2024).

The address of real property alone usually satisfies particularity. “Even a search warrant with an incorrect address can satisfy the particularity requirement.” United States v. Konert, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 196123 (W.D. Mo. Oct. 11, 2024).*

The dashcam video here clearly supports the stop for leaving the lane. State v. Cardona, 2024 Iowa App. LEXIS 802 (Oct. 30, 2024).*

Decedent who was noncompliant with the officers’ commands didn’t have a need for a warning before deadly force was used. Here it was objectively reasonable. Rice v. City of N. Las Vegas, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 27525 (9th Cir. Oct. 30, 2024).*

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E.D.Mich.: Ordering passenger from car in an uneventful traffic stop required RS; his assault on officer was intervening act

The traffic stop was uneventful at first, and the driver provided all the information and papers necessary. After that, the officers focused on the passenger and ordered him from the car, but that required reasonable suspicion. His assault of the officer was an intervening act and the motion to suppress is denied. United States v. Johnson, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 196460 (E.D. Mich. Oct. 29, 2024).

Petitioner’s plea of guilty waived his Fourth Amendment claim for habeas. Lee v. United States, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 196377 (E.D. Tenn. Oct. 29, 2024).*

The CI gave sufficient information to show probable cause for defendant’s stop and the search of his vehicle, so the dog alert is a moot point. United States v. Roberson, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 196479 (E.D. Mich. Oct. 29, 2024).*

Because the affidavit for warrant referred to the CI’s cooperation “approximately six times” it’s not misleading because it could have been less than six times. United States v. Roberson, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 196479 (E.D. Mich. Oct. 29, 2024).*

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