Opinion ID: 2967647
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Detentions

Text: In its effort to identify and locate the culprit, the Homicide Unit enlisted and utilized officers from other CID units, and CID personnel conducted multiple investigative interviews in the early hours of April 27, 1995. Early on the morning of April 27, 1995, Darryl Hensley, a purported witness to the murder, was brought to the building that houses the CID offices (the CID Station).10 Hensley, who was inter- 9 The Corporals insisted at trial that they only entered the foyer of 7211, and that they did so with Eloise Jones’s consent. They denied going upstairs and removing Randall from the bathtub. Because the jury found for Randall, however, we must accept the Plaintiffs’ version of the First Search. 10 Each of the four CID units maintains an office in the CID Station, and each office consists of an open area with detectives’ desks and three interview rooms. Most interview rooms are small and windowless, and they have a metal loop protruding from one wall. On occasion, individuals being interviewed are secured to the loop. The interview rooms can be locked from the outside, but they are not soundproof. The CID Station also has a large conference room at its center, which served as the command post for the Novabilski investigation. The CID Station is adjacent to the building which serves as County Police headquarters for the Landover area, designated as the District III station (the District III Station). The CID Station is attached to the District III Station through connecting hallways with interior security doors. Although the CID Station has no holding cells, the District III Station contains cells sometimes utilized by CID. 12 RANDALL v. PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY viewed extensively, reviewed photographs and identified Jeffrey Gilbert, a nephew of Plaintiff Eloise Jones, as Corporal Novabilski’s murderer. At approximately 5:30 p.m. on April 27, 1995, an arrest warrant was obtained for Gilbert, charging him with Novabilski’s murder. At about that time, CID personnel discovered that the burgundy Dodge Diplomat that had been parked in front of 7211 the previous evening was registered to Gilbert. Search warrants were then obtained for both the Diplomat and the residence at 7211. At approximately 9:00 p.m. on April 27, 1995, Lieutenant McQuillan conducted a briefing on the Novabilski investigation at the CID Station, and teams of officers were assigned to surveillance duty at 7211 and to locate the Diplomat. Over the course of the night, the surveillance officers stopped nine of the plaintiffs — Randall, Swint, McAbee, Edward Jones, Dana Williams, Carlos Marshall, Mayhew, Mobley, and Hamlet — in the vicinity of 7211.
The stops made by the officers monitoring 7211 shared the common characteristics of what is known as a high-risk felony stop.11 In each instance, officers approached an individual or vehicle with their weapons drawn, contacted CID by radio, and advised the radio operator of the individual’s identity. The nine plaintiffs stopped near 7211 were delivered to the CID Station through its back entrance, which is normally utilized only for persons in custody. Upon their arrival, they were taken to separate interview rooms, handcuffed to the metal loop protruding from the wall, and then interviewed.12 11 The high-risk felony stop procedure is utilized when there is a likelihood that an officer or another person could be injured. Occupants of a stopped vehicle are directed to exit the vehicle with their hands up and to walk backwards slowly. They are then directed to turn around so that the officers can ascertain whether they are armed. Such persons may also be directed to kneel, and they may be handcuffed to ensure officer and public safety. 12 The metal loop was located on one wall, and a metal chain extended from it with a handcuff on its end. An individual being interviewed would sit in a chair and might be secured on one wrist by the handcuff on the chain. As such, the individual would effectively be handcuffed to the wall. RANDALL v. PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY 13 Gilbert, for whom the arrest warrant had been issued on April 27, 1995, was located, apprehended, and delivered to the CID Station at approximately 2:30 a.m. on April 28, 1995. After the arrest, the authorities released Plaintiff Dana Williams; the other eight plaintiffs, however, remained at the CID Station for up to nine hours after Gilbert’s apprehension.13 The relevant experiences of these nine plaintiffs are summarized below.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m. on April 27, 1995, the officers at 7211 stopped the burgundy Dodge Diplomat, which was being driven by Plaintiff Randall. Randall was transported to the CID Station, taken to an interview room, and handcuffed to a wall. At Sergeant Swope’s direction, Detective Andrew Rositch interviewed Randall and reported the contents of the interview to Swope. Rositch did not release Randall because he understood that only the lead investigator, Corporal Ricker, or one of the other Supervisors, possessed the authority to release him. Officer Keith Harmon later questioned Randall again, but also did not release him. Plaintiff Randall was moved to other interview rooms during the night and, after each move, was handcuffed to a wall. At about 5:00 a.m. on April 28, 1995, Randall was taken to the District III Station, registered as a prisoner, and locked in a cell.14 He was released from the cell approximately an hour later, and, after retrieving his property, left the CID Station around 9:00 a.m. on April 28, 1995. 13 The Plaintiffs were not the only civilians present at the CID Station that night. As one CID sergeant observed, [A]ll the units housed in [the CID Station] generate their business, so to speak, through civilian victims, witnesses. That’s the nature of what we do. There were therefore many individuals at the CID Station on the night of April 27-28, 1995, as a result of investigations wholly unconnected to the murder. Moreover, CID interviewed approximately one hundred individuals at the CID Station in connection with the Novabilski investigation. 14 The County Police registered prisoners by photographing and fingerprinting, itemizing personal effects, and recording names in the log. 14 RANDALL v. PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
Sometime before 10:00 p.m. on April 27, 1995, the surveillance officers stopped Plaintiff Swint, who was exiting 7211 on foot. They transported him to the CID Station, where either Swope or Ricker directed Corporal Edwin Robertson to interview him. Swint cooperated and signed a statement. However, he was not released because, according to Robertson, only the lead investigator had the authority to release him. Swint remained locked in an interview room until 9:00 a.m. on April 28, 1995, when he was heard banging on the door. He was then released from the CID Station.
Plaintiff McAbee was stopped by the surveillance officers shortly before 10:00 p.m. on April 27, 1995, while walking from 7211 to his mother’s nearby home. He was transported to the CID Station and questioned about Gilbert. McAbee was handcuffed to a wall for six or seven hours and repeatedly sought to use the bathroom. Eventually, he was permitted to use the bathroom, but he was returned to the interview room and again handcuffed to the wall. He was later taken to the District III Station, registered as a prisoner, and placed in a cell. McAbee was released from the CID Station at approximately 11:00 a.m. on April 28, 1995.
Carlos Marshall, and Mayhew At approximately 10:40 p.m. on April 27, 1995, the surveillance officers stopped a gold Toyota Camry departing 7211 carrying four men: Plaintiffs Edward Jones, Dana Williams, Carlos Marshall, and Mayhew. They were transported to the CID Station, taken to separate interview rooms, and handcuffed to walls. Edward Jones was questioned for several hours and advised that if he gave a statement, he would be permitted to leave. Upon providing a statement, however, he was not released. Two of the interviewing officers testified they could not release him until someone with more knowledge of the investigation had reviewed his statement for accuracy. At about 5:00 a.m. on April 28, 1995, Edward Jones was taken to the District III RANDALL v. PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY 15 Station, registered as a prisoner, and placed in a cell. He was released from the CID Station at 9:45 a.m. on the morning of April 28. Plaintiff Dana Williams was repeatedly interviewed on the night of April 27, 1995. Williams was released at approximately 2:30 a.m. on April 28, 1995. Plaintiffs Carlos Marshall and Mayhew were stripped of their personal items before being placed in separate interview rooms. They were handcuffed to walls throughout the interview process, and they were denied access to the bathroom despite repeated requests. Mayhew agreed to assist the police by paging Gilbert; however, after doing so, he was returned to the interview room and again handcuffed to the wall. Officer John Piazza also interviewed Mayhew and reported the contents of the interview to either Swope or Ricker. At approximately 5:00 a.m. on April 28, 1995, Marshall and Mayhew were taken to the District III Station, registered as prisoners, and placed in cells. They were released shortly before 6:00 a.m. on April 28, 1995.
Between 10:45 and 11:15 p.m. on April 27, 1995, the surveillance officers at 7211 stopped a red Chevrolet occupied by Plaintiffs Mobley and Hamlet. They were transported to the CID Station and placed in separate interview rooms; Mobley was handcuffed to a wall. Either Sergeant Swope or another Homicide Unit sergeant directed an officer to interview Mobley, who was also interviewed by other officers during the night. Mobley initially refused to answer questions, asserting that he was under no obligation to do so. Officers then threatened him with incarceration if he refused to respond, and he relented. Hamlet was interviewed and then locked in an interview room. At approximately 5:00 a.m. on April 28, 1995, Mobley and Hamlet were taken to the District III Station, registered as prisoners, and locked in cells. They were released sometime on the morning of April 28, 1995.