Crim Pro Flashcards
Crim Pro
What is the general Fourth Amendment idea?
People should be free from unreasonable searches and seizures
Crim Pro
What is a seizure?
Any exercise of control by a government agent over a person or thing
Crim Pro
When does a seizure of a person occur?
A seizure occurs when, under the totality of the circumstances, a reasonable person would feel that they were not free to decline the officer’s requests or otherwise terminate the encounter
Crim Pro
What is an arrest/when does it occur?
An arrest occurs when the police take a person into custody against their will for purposes of criminal prosecution or interrogation
Must be based on probable cause
Probable cause: trustworthy facts or knowledge sufficient for a reasonable person to believe that the suspect has committed or is committing a crime for which arrest is authorized by law, based on the totality of the circumstances
Warrant generally not required for arresting in public place
But must generally have a warrant before arresting someone in their home
May only enter home if there is reason to believe the suspect is within it
Must also have full probable cause for arrest before bringing someone to the station for questioning or fingerprinting against the person’s will
Crim Pro
What must an arrest be based on?
Probable cause: trustworthy facts or knowledge sufficient for a reasonable person to believe that the suspect has committed or is committing a crime for which arrest is authorized by law, based on the totality of the circumstances
Crim Pro
When is a warrant required for an arrest?
Warrant generally not required for arresting in a public place
But must generally have a warrant before arresting someone in their home unless you have an exigent circumstance and have reason to believe the suspect is fleeing or destroying evidence or something
Crim Pro
What is probable cause?
Probable cause: trustworthy facts or knowledge sufficient for a reasonable person to believe that the suspect has committed or is committing a crime for which arrest is authorized by law, based on the totality of the circumstances
Crim Pro
What belief do you have to have before you can bring someone to the station for questioning against their will?
Must have full probable cause for arrest before you can bring someone to the station for questioning
Crim Pro
What belief do you have to have before you can bring someone to the station to fingerprint them against their will?
Must have full probable cause for arrest before you can bring them in
Crim Pro
What is a Terry stop?
Police have authority to briefly detain a person even if they lack probable cause to arrest
If police have a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity or involvement in a completed crime, supported by articulable facts (more than a hunch), they may detain a person
If police also have reasonable suspicion that the detainee is armed and dangerous, they may frisk detainee for weapons
Reasonable suspicion: more than just a vague suspicion but less than probable cause, based on the totality of the circumstances
When reasonable suspicion is based on an informant’s tip, there must be an indicia of reliability to be sufficient (can include predictive info but doesn’t have to)
A Terry stop is not subject to a specific time limit
Police must act in diligent and reasonable manner in confirming or dispelling their suspicions
Police may ask the person to identify themselves and may arrest the detainee for failure to comply
Can turn into an arrest if during the detention, probable cause for arrest arises
Brief property seizures are valid if based on reasonable suspicion
Crim Pro
What are “articulable facts” in terms of Terry stops?
Articulable facts are far less than probable cause but more than a mere hunch - there must be something to go on - add up to reasonable suspicion, then probable cause
Police may briefly detain a person even if they lack probable cause to arrest, so long as they have a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity or involvement in a completed crime, supported by articulable facts
Crim Pro
When can an officer frisk someone for weapons during a Terry stop?
Terry stop is the brief detention when an officer has a reasonable suspicion based on articulable facts of criminal activity
If police also have reasonable suspicion that the detainee is armed and dangerous, they may frisk detainee for weapons
Crim Pro
What is “reasonable suspicion”?
More than a vague suspicion but less than probable cause, based on the totality of the circumstances
When reasonable suspicion is based on an informant’s tip, there must be an indicia of reliability to be sufficient (can include predictive info but doesn’t have to)
Crim Pro
What is the standard for when reasonable suspicion is based on an informant’s tip?
When reasonable suspicion is based on an informant’s tip, must be an indicia of reliability to be sufficient (can include predictive info but doesn’t have to)
Reasonable suspicion = more than vague suspicion but less than probable cause, based on totality of the circumstances
Crim Pro
Are Terry stops required to be a certain time limit?
No, they are not subject to a specific time limit
Police must act in a diligent and reasonable manner in confirming or dispelling their suspicions
Crim Pro
Can an officer arrest a detainee for not providing their name during a Terry stop?
Yes, police may ask the person to identify themselves and may arrest the detainee for failure to comply
Crim Pro
Can a Terry stop turn into an arrest?
Yes, although a Terry stop starts out as a brief detention based on reasonable suspicion supported by articulable facts - if they discover things so that probable cause arises, then they can arrest because arrests are based on probable cause
Crim Pro
Are brief property seizures valid during a Terry stop?
Yes, if they are based on a reasonable suspicion, like a normal Terry stop
Crim Pro
Can police make an automobile stop?
Yes, if they have at least reasonable suspicion to believe that a law has been violated
Crim Pro
During a routine traffic stop, can the police use dogs to sniff around?
Yes, during a routine traffic search, a dog sniff is not a search, as long as the police doesn’t prolong the stop for longer than is necessary to write a ticket, ask a few questions, etc.
If they prolong it, then that would be unreasonable and a search and would not be allowed without a warrant per the Fourth Amendment
A dog “alert” to the presence of drugs can form basis for probable cause for an actual search
Crim Pro
Does police’s mistake of law invalidate an automobile stop?
No, generally, police may stop a car if they have at least reasonable suspicion to believe that a law has been violated
Police’s mistake of law doesn’t invalidate that seizure as long as the mistake was reasonable
Crim Pro
Who is seized during an automobile stop?
The driver but also any passengers
This means passengers have standing to raise a wrongful stop as a reason to exclude evidence found during the stop
Crim Pro
Are informational roadblocks constitutional?
Yes, if set up for purposes other than seeking incriminating information about the drivers stopped
If special law enforcement needs are involved, police can set up roadblocks to stop cars without individualized suspicion that the driver violated some law
To be valid, roadblock must stop cars on the basis of some neutral, articulable standard (for ex: every car, or every other car - you’re not seeking out certain cars)
And be designed to serve purposes closely related to a particular problem pertaining to cars and their mobility (for ex: drunk driving)
Crim Pro
What are the two requirements for a valid informational roadblock?
A roadblock must stop cars on the basis of some neutral, articulable standard; and be designed to serve purpsoes closely related to a particular problem pertaining to cars and their mobility
Crim Pro
After stopping a car, can the police order the occupants to get out?
Yes, if the police have lawfully stopped a car, in the interest of officer safety, the officer may order the occupants to get out
And if the officer reasonably believes the detainees are armed, officer may frisk the occupants and search the passenger compartment for weapons, even after the officer has ordered the occupants out
Crim Pro
As part of an automobile stop, can the officers frisk the occupants?
Yes, if the officer reasonably believes that the detainees are armed, officer may frisk the occupants and also search the passenger compartment for weapons, even after the officer has ordered the occupants out
Crim Pro
As part of an automobile stop, can the officer search the passenger compartment of the car?
Yes, if the officer reasonably believes that the detainees are armed, they can search the passenger compartment for weapons, even if the occupants have already been ordered out of the car
Crim Pro
Does an officer’s ulterior motives invalidate an automobile stop?
No, pretext doesn’t matter as long as there was probable cause to believe the driver violated a traffic law - then they can pull you over even if the real reason is they think you were shady or dealing drugs or something - as long as the police believe you violated a traffic law, they can pull you over even if their real motivation is something else
Crim Pro
What effect does an invalid arrest have on subsequent criminal prosecution?
An unlawful arrest, by itself, has no impact on any subsequent criminal prosecution
But evidence that is gathered as a result of an unlawful arrest may not be able to be used at trial as fruit of the poisonous tree
Crim Pro
If police have a warrant for your arrest, can they enter your home no matter what?
No, they have to have reason to believe the suspect is in the home to be able to go in it, or there needs to be an exigent circumstance - the arrest warrant itself doesn’t give you free reign to go into the suspect’s home
Crim Pro
What are the general steps for analyzing search and seizure?
(1) Is there government conduct?
(2) is there standing (a reasonable expectation of privacy)?
(3) Is there a valid warrant?
(4) If not, are there exceptions ot the warrant requirement?
Crim Pro
What is governmental conduct per the Fourth Amendment?
The Fourth Amend generally protects only against gov’t conduct
Police officers, other government agents, or private individuals acting at the direction of the public police
Fourth Amend doesn’t protect against searches by privately paid police unless they are deputized as officers of the public police - store security guards, subdivision police, and campus police
Crim Pro
What are the two ways in which searches and seizures can implicate an individual’s Fourth Amend rights?
(1) search or seizure by a gov’t agent of a constitutionally protected area in which the individual had a reasonable expectation of privacy; OR
(2) physical intrusion by the government into a constitutionally protected area to obtain information
Crim Pro
What are the six warrantless search exceptions?
(1) Incident to constitutional arrest
(2) Automobile search
(3) Plain view
(4) Consent
(5) Stop and frisk
(6) Hot pursuit, exigent circumstances, evanescent evidence, emergency aid
Crim Pro
What makes a warrant proper?
Based on probable cause, precise on its face, and issued by a neutral and detached magistrate
Crim Pro
What makes a warrant properly executed?
Without unreasonable delay; after announcement (unless officers or evidence would be endangered); person or place searched or seized within scope of warrant
Crim Pro
What gives a person standing to bring a Fourth Amendment claim?
A person must have their own reasonable expectation of privacy with respect to the place searched or the item seized
Based on the totality of the circumstances
But a person always has a reasonable expectation of privacy any time:
- The person owned or had a right to possession of the place searched
- The place searched was in fact their home, whether or not they owned or had a right to possession of it (for ex: a grandchild living at a grandparent’s home); OR
- The person was an overnight guest of the owner of the place
And sometimes: when the person owns the property seized; if a person owns the property seized, they have standing only if they have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the item or area searched
Crim Pro
What are the three situations where a person pretty much always has a reasonable expectation of privacy?
Right to possession; their home; overnight guest
The person owned or had a right to possession of the place searched
The place searched was in fact their home, whether or not they owned or had a right to possession of it (for ex: a grandchild living at a grandparent’s home); OR
The person was an overnight guest of the owner of the place
Crim Pro
Does a person have a reasonable expectation of privacy in things seen across open fields?
No, anything that can be seen across open fields is a thing held out to the public and you have no standing to bring a claim if someone sees something criminal
Crim Pro
What are the two core requirements for a facially valid search warrant?
Probable cause and particularity
Probable cause: a warrant will be issued only if there is probable cause to believe that seizable evidence will be found on the person or premises at the time the warrant is executed
Particularity: warrant must describe with particularity the place to be searched and items to be seized; if it does not, the warrant is unconstitutional, even if the underlying affidavit gives such detail
Crim Pro
What is the probable cause requirement for a search warrant?
A warrant will be issued only if there is probable cause to believe that seizable evidence will be found on the person or premises at the time the warrant is executed
Officers have to submit to a magistrate an affidavit setting forth circumstances enabling the magistrate to make a determination of probable cause independent of the officers’ conclusions
Crim Pro
What test is used for an affidavit based on an informer’s tip?
For an affidavit for a warrant based on an informer’s tip, it must meet the totality of the circumstances test
Under this test, the informant’s reliability and credibility or their basis for knowledge are relevant factors in making this determination
The informer’s identity generally need not be revealed
Crim Pro
A search warrant issued on the basis of an affidavit will be held invalid if the defendant establishes all three of the following:
In short: false statement; intentionally or recklessly; and material
A false statement was included in the affidavit by the affiant (the officer applying for the warrant)
The affiant intentionally or recklessly included the false statement; AND
The false statement was material to the finding of probable cause
Defendant is very rarely successful with these challenges
Crim Pro
If there ends up being a finding that a search warrant was not supported by probable cause, may the evidence still be used?
Yes, evidence obtained by the police in reasonable reliance on a facially valid warrant may be used by the prosecution, despite an ultimate finding that the warrant was not supported by probable cause
Good faith exception applies only if the police obtained a warrant and it is invalid
Does not apply if the police failed to obtain a warrant at all
Crim Pro
What is the particularlity requirement for a search warrant?
Warrant must describe with particularity the place to be searched and items to be seized; if it does not, the warrant is unconstitutional, even if the underlying affidavit gives such detail
Crim Pro
What is the magistrate requirement for search warrants?
The magistrate who issues the warrant must be neutral and detached (for ex: a state attorney general is not neutral)
Crim Pro
Who may execute a warrant and how must they do it?
Only police (not private citizens) can execute a warrant, and it must be executed without unreasonable delay
Police must knock and announce their purpose, and wait a reasonable time for admittance (unless the officer has a reasonable suspicion, based on the facts, that announcing would be dangerous or futile or would inhibit the investigation)
Police may not be accompanied by any third parties unless the third parties are present to aid in identifying stolen property
Scope of search is limited to what is reasonably necessary to discover the items described in the warrant
Police may seize any contraband or fruits or instrumentalities of crime that they discover, whether or not it was specified in the warrant
Violations of the knock and announce rule will NOT result in the suppression of evidence otherwise properly obtained - exclusionary rule doesn’t apply
May detain occupants of the premises during a search, but warrant doesn’t authorize the police to search persons found on the premises who were not named in the warrant
Nor does warrant give officers authority to follow, stop, detain, and search persons who left the premises shortly before the warrant was executed
Detentions are limited to persons in the immediate vicinity of the premises when the warrant is being executed
But, if a police officer has reason to believe any person present is armed and dangerous, officer may conduct a Terry pat down for weapons
Crim Pro
May police be accompanied by third parties when executing a warrant?
Typically no, unless the third party is there to aid in identifying stolen property
Crim Pro
What is the scope of the search when executing a warrant?
Scope of search is limited to what is rsbly necessary to discover the items described in the warrant
Police may seize any contraband, fruits, instrumentalities of crime that they discover, whether or not it was specified in the warrant
Crim Pro
Will a violation of the knock and announce rule invoke the exclusionary rule?
No, violations of the knock and announce rule will NOT result in the suppression of evidence otherwise properly obtained - exclusionary rule does not apply here
Crim Pro
When executing a warrant, what can officers do with the people on or around the premises?
May detain occupants of the premises during a search, but warrant doesn’t authorize the police to search persons found on the premises who were not named in the warrant
Nor does warrant give officers authority to follow, stop, detain, and search persons who left the premises shortly before the warrant was executed
Detentions are limited to persons in the immediate vicinity of the premises when the warrant is being executed
But, if a police officer has reason to believe any person present is armed and dangerous, officer may conduct a Terry pat down for weapons
Crim Pro
What is the general line about warrantless searches?
All warrantless searches conducted by law enforcement officers are unconstitutional unless they fit into one of six recognized exceptions to the warrant requirement
Crim Pro
What is the search incident to lawful arrest warrant exception?
Incident to a constitutional arrest (one based on probable cause to believe a law has been violated and that meets other constitutional requirements), the police may search the person and areas into which they might reach to obtain weapons or destroy evidence
Police may make protective sweep of the area if they believe accomplices may be present
Search must be contemporaneous in time and place with the arrest
But, at least with respect to searches of cars, the term “contemporaneous” doesn’t necessarily mean “simultaneous”
Thus, for ex, police may search the interior of a car after securing a recent occupant of the automobile in a squad car if they have reason to believe that the vehicle contains evidence of the crime for which the recent occupant was arrested
If arrest is unconstitutional, any search incident to that arrest is also unconstitutional
Police may conduct a search of the passenger compartment of a car incident to arrest only if at the time of the search:
- The arrestee is unsecured and still may gain access to the interior of the vehicle; OR
- The police rsbly believe that evidence of the offense for which the person was arrested may be found in the vehicle
In assessing the validity of a search incident to arrest involving things that didn’t exist when Fourth Amend was created, court will balance the degree to which the search incident to arrest intrudes upon a person’s privacy against the degree to which the search is needed to promote legit gov’t interests
Crim Pro
During a search incident to lawful arrest, may the police make a protective sweep of the area?
yes if they believe accomplices may be present
Crim Pro
For search incident to lawful arrest, what happens if the arrest is unconstitutional?
Any search incident to arrest is also unlawful
Crim Pro
When may police conduct a search of the passenger compartment of a car pursuant to an arrest (search incident to arrest - automobile exception)?
Police may conduct a search of the passenger compartment of a car incident to arrest only if at the time of the search:
(1) The arrestee is unsecured and still may gain access to the interior of the vehicle; OR
(2) The police rsbly believe that evidence of the offense for which the person was arrested may be found in the vehicle