Opinion ID: 3048686
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Hoang’s Fourth Amendment Interests

Text: [1] “Letters and other sealed packages are in the general class of effects in which the public at large has a legitimate expectation of privacy; warrantless searches of such effects are presumptively unreasonable.” United States v. Jacobsen, 466 U.S. 109, 114 (1984). However, “[w]hat a person knowingly exposes to the public, even in his own home or office, is not a subject of Fourth Amendment protection.” Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 351 (1967). Thus, the Fourth Amendment is not implicated when only the external features of a package, like the address label are examined; there is no reasonable expectation that the outside of a package given to a mail-carrier will be kept private. See, e.g., United States v. Choate, 576 F.2d 165, 174 (9th Cir. 1978) (discussing collection of information from the exterior of mail). Similarly, the Fourth Amendment is not implicated by the use of a dog sniff by a trained dog to detect contraband in a package. See Illinois v. Caballes, 543 U.S. 405, 408-10 (2005); United States v. Place, 462 U.S. 696, 707 (1983). Thus, neither the sniff by Otto nor Agent Todd’s visual inspection were searches within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment.1 Because there was no search, the only constitutional interest potentially implicated is Hoang’s possessory interest in the package.