Search Warrants Present Ver. 10.ppt - Virginiavscc.virginia.gov/Search Warrants Present Ver....
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Search Warrants HB 361 and SB 247 October 3, 2016
Transcript of Search Warrants Present Ver. 10.ppt - Virginiavscc.virginia.gov/Search Warrants Present Ver....
SearchWarrantsHB361andSB247
October3,2016
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Overview
• StudyAuthorization
• Background
• LegalAnalysis
• Recommendation
VIRGINIA STATE CRIME COMMISSION
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StudyAuthorization
• DuringtheRegularSessionofthe2016GeneralAssembly,HouseBill361(HB361)wasintroducedbyDelegateG.ManoliLoupassi andSenateBill247(SB247)wasintroducedbySenatorsRichardBlackandJillHoltzman Vogel.
• Bothbillswereidenticalasintroduced.
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StudyAuthorization
• SenateBill247wasamendedintheSenateCourtsofJusticeCommitteeandpassedtheSenate.
• BothHB361andSB247wereleftintheHouseCourtsofJusticeCommittee.
• AletterwassenttotheCrimeCommissionrequestingareviewofthesubjectmatterofthetwobills.
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Background
• Asintroduced,bothSB247andHB361soughttoaddtheauthoritytoobtainasearchwarrantfor“anypersontobearrestedoranypersonwhoisunlawfullyrestrained”totheVirginiasearchwarrantstatutes(Va.Code§§ 19.2‐53,19.2‐54and19.2‐56).
• ThelanguageofthebillswasidenticaltotheterminologyusedinRule41oftheFederalRulesofCriminalProcedure.
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Background
• SenateBill247wasamendedintheSenateCourtsofJusticeCommittee;twooftheprimaryamendmentswerethefollowing:– Thephrase“anypersontobearrested”wasamendedto“anypersontobearrestedforwhomawarrantorprocessforarresthasbeenissued.”
– Thephrase“anypersonwhoisunlawfullyrestrained”wasdeletedfromthebill.
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Background
• Bothbillswereintendedtofixanissuethatariseswhenapersonwhoisonprobation(orparole)violatesthetermsofhisprobation,butdoesnotcommitanew“crime.”
• Ifaprobationerisbelievedtobeintheresidenceofathirdparty,howcanlawenforcementgainaccesstoathirdparty’sresidencetoarresttheprobationerforaviolationoftherulesofprobation?
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LegalAnalysis
• Inthe1980caseofPaytonv.NewYork,445U.S.573,theU.S.SupremeCourtheldthatintheabsenceofexigentcircumstances,theFourthAmendmentprohibitslawenforcementfrommakingawarrantlessentryintoaperson’shomeforthepurposeofexecutingaroutinefelonyarrest.– Inordertoenteraperson’sresidencetoexecutearoutinefelonyarrest,lawenforcementmustfirstobtainanarrestwarrantforthatperson.
• Payton didnotaddressenteringtheresidenceofathirdpartytoexecuteanarrestofanindividual.
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LegalAnalysis
• Inthe1981caseofSteagaldv.UnitedStates,451U.S.204,theU.S.SupremeCourtheldthatintheabsenceofexigentcircumstancesorconsent,lawenforcementmaynotenterthehomeofathirdpartytoexecuteanarrestwarrant,eveniftheybelievethesubjectofthearrestwarrantwillbefoundthere.– Warrantlessentryintotheresidenceisaviolationofthehomeowner’sFourthAmendmentrights.
– Thepropercourseofconductistoobtainasearchwarrant,allowingentryintotheresidencetosearchforthepersonwhoisthesubjectofthearrestwarrant.
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LegalAnalysis
• Thereisadistinctionbetweenawarrantlessarrestforaprobationviolationandawarrantlessarrestforacriminaloffense.
• Ifaprobationofficerdesirestohaveaprobationerarrestedforviolatingthetermsoftheirprobation,theofficerhastwooptions:– Requestthatajudgeissueacapias forviolationofacourtorder;or,
– Authorizeawarrantlessarrestoftheprobationer.
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LegalAnalysis
• InVirginia,probationofficershavearrestauthoritybutnotarrestpower—meaningthataprobationofficercanauthorizeawarrantlessarrestforaprobationer,buttheprobationofficercannotphysicallydetainthesubject.
• ProbationofficersinVirginiaaregrantedthepowertoauthorizewarrantlessarrestsofprobationerspursuanttoVa.Code§§ 53.1‐149and53.1‐162.– Thesearrestsarecommonlyreferredtoasa“PB15.”– TheprobationofficerissuesthePB15andthenprovidesthedocumenttolawenforcementtoexecutethearrest.
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LegalAnalysis
• AwarrantlessarrestonaPB15isforaviolationoftherulesofprobation.
• Theseviolationscanbeforstatusoffenses—actionsthatarepunishableonlybecausetheoffenderisonsupervisedprobation,suchas:– Failuretoreportanarrest;failuretomaintainorreportchangesinemployment;failuretoreporttoprobationasinstructed;failuretoallowprobationtovisithomeorworkplace;failuretofollowinstructions;useofalcohol;useofcontrolledsubstances;possessionortransportofafirearm;changeofresidenceorleavingtheCommonwealthwithoutpermission;etc.
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LegalAnalysis
• ThemorecommonlyrecognizedstatuteregardingwarrantlessarrestsisVa.Code§ 19.2‐81:– LawenforcementofficersinVirginiamayarrestwithoutawarrantforanycrimecommittedintheirpresenceandforanyfelonynotintheirpresence—mustbebasedonprobablecause.
– Lawenforcementmayalsoarrestforcertainmisdemeanorsnotcommittedintheirpresence,suchasdrivingundertheinfluence,shoplifting,carryingaweapononschoolproperty,assaultandbattery,brandishingafirearm,ordestructionofproperty.
• WarrantlessarrestsunderthisCodesectionallinvolveactivitieswhichareclearlycriminalviolationsundertheVirginiaCode.
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LegalAnalysis
• Ifprobablecauseexists,acriminalsearchwarrantmaybeissuedpursuanttoVa.Code§ 19.2‐53“…forthesearchoforforspecifiedplaces,thingsorpersons,andseizuretherefromofthefollowingthingsasspecifiedinthewarrant”:– Weaponsorotherobjectsusedinthecommissionofcrime;– Articlesorthingsthesaleorpossessionofwhichisunlawful;– Stolenpropertyorthefruitsofanycrime;and,– Anyobject,thing,orperson,includingwithoutlimitation,documents,books,papers,recordsorbodyfluids,constitutingevidenceofthecommissionofcrime.
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LegalAnalysis
• Whenapplyingforasearchwarrant,Va.Code§ 19.2‐54requiresthefilingof:– “…anaffidavit ofsomepersonreasonablydescribingtheplace,thing,orpersontobesearched,thethingsorpersonstobesearchedforthereunder,allegingbrieflymaterialfacts,constitutingtheprobablecausefortheissuanceofsuchwarrantandallegingsubstantiallytheoffenseinrelationtowhichsuchsearchistobemadeandthattheobject,thing,orpersonsearchedforconstitutesevidenceofthecommissionofsuchoffense.”
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LegalAnalysis
• Asearchwarrantcanbeobtainedforapersonwhenthereisprobablecausethatsaidpersoncommittedacrime—thepersonhimself“constitutingevidenceofthecrime.”
• Inthecaseofaprobationviolation,though,no“crime”mayhavebeencommitted.– The“crime”maybeastatusoffense—aviolationofacourtorderorrulesofprobation.
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LegalAnalysis
• Theseconsiderationscreatealackofclaritywithinthesearchwarrantstatutesastowhetherasearchwarrantmaybeissuedforapersonwhoissubjecttoarrest.
• WhiletheoriginalintentoftheHB361andSB247centeredaroundsearchwarrantsforarrestsonprobationviolations,theproposedamendmentswouldprovideclaritywithinthesearchwarrantstatutesonwhetherasearchwarrantmaybeissuedforanypersonwhoissubjecttoarrest.
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LegalAnalysis
• IfVa.Code§§ 19.2‐53,19.2‐54,and19.2‐56wereamendedasprovidedforintheoriginal versionsofHB361andSB247,theissuanceofasearchwarrantforallcasesinvolvinganarrestwarrantwouldbeclearlyauthorized.– Theoriginallanguageappliedto“…anypersontobearrested…”
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LegalAnalysis
• IfVa.Code§§ 19.2‐53,19.2‐54,and19.2‐56wereamendedasprovidedforinthesubstitute versionofSB247,theissuanceofasearchwarrantwouldbeclearlyauthorizedforallcasesinvolvinganarrestwarrant,capiasortechnicalviolationofprobation.– ThesubstitutelanguageinSB247appliedto“...anypersontobearrestedforwhomawarrantorprocessforarresthasbeenissued.”
• Thissubstituteversionappearstoprovidemoreclarityastowhenasearchwarrantcanbeauthorizedforapersonsubjecttoarrest.
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LegalAnalysis
• BothHB361andSB247originallyincludedlanguagerelatingtotheissuanceofasearchwarrantfor“… anypersonwhoisunlawfullyrestrained.”
• Includingthisphraseinthesearchwarrantstatutesisprobablynotnecessary.– Ifapersonisunlawfullyrestrained,heisprobablythevictimofanabduction,andthereforeasearchwarrantcanalreadybeissuedtosearchforthepersonwhois“evidenceofthecommissionof[the]crime.”
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Recommendation
Recommendation:
• TheCrimeCommissionshouldendorsethesubstituteversionofSB247that:• Addsthephrase“anypersontobearrestedforwhomawarrantorprocessforarresthasbeenissued”tothesearchwarrantstatutes;and,
• Deletesthephrase“… anypersonwhoisunlawfullyrestrained” fromtheoriginalversionofthebill.
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Discussion
