Here, Detective Barbieri's vantage point was inside the garage and curtilage, where constitutional protections normally extend. App. at 533 . Constitutional protection against warrantless searches applies most strongly to a person's home. An officer with legitimate business, when acting in the same manner as a reasonably respectful citizen, is permitted to enter the curtilage areas of a private residence which are impliedly open, such as access routes to the house. However, a substantial and unreasonable departure from such an area, or a particularly intrusive method of viewing, will exceed the scope of the implied invitation and intrude upon a constitutionally protected expectation of privacy.
All parties agree the detective was initially engaged in legitimate police business.
Given the above, two questions arise. We turn now to our analysis of the first question. Generally, areas of the curtilage impliedly open to the public include the driveway, walkway, or access route leading to the residence. But if a portion of the driveway is hidden from public view and does not lead directly to the house, it may fall outside the impliedly open areas of the curtilage. No case in Washington exists holding that the exposed interior of a residential garage is impliedly open to the public.