In conducting the actual inventory search of Nielsen’s vehicle, the officers followed policies exactly
Sticking to the Inventory Policy Results in Admissible Evidence
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Category: Search and Seizure
Smile for the Camera
“A person has no legitimate expectation of privacy in information he voluntarily turns over to third parties”
Border Search Doctrine Extended to Search of Cell Phones
The court limited its holding to the “manual” search of scrolling through the phone
Collect All Evidence, Let the Lawyers Sort It Out
Let the courts figure out what is and is not admissible
Jacket Tossed Onto (Not Into) a Garbage Can Was Not Abandoned
Perhaps the outcome would have been different if Ramirez had tossed the jacket into the trash can
Careful Questions Piece Together Reasonable Suspicion
“Reasonable suspicion requires only that the officer have ‘a moderate chance’ of finding evidence of illegality”
Mistaken Identity of a Triple-Homicide Suspect
Court: “The rangers easily cleared the reasonable suspicion hurdle”
Time for a Name Change?
What steps could be taken to mitigate a third mistaken-identity arrest?
Orange Is the New…Blue?
The officer testified, sharing several criminal explanations of why a license plate may not correspond with the vehicle to which it is affixed
Dirty Sock on the Porch Fair Game for Search
Officers drafting affidavits for search warrants should endeavor to specify all areas to be searched
Mistaken Warrant Belief Doesn’t Trigger Suppression
The court concluded it was a single act of negligence that caused Zahn’s recalled warrant to remain in the file
The 5-Second Rule?
“Reasonableness—rather than efficiency—is the touchstone of the Fourth Amendment.”