Opinion ID: 2621477
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Investigatory Stop Exception

Text: Article I, section 7 permits reasonable investigatory stops. See State v. Little, 116 Wash.2d 488, 497, 806 P.2d 749 (1991). A warrantless seizure will fall within the investigatory stop exception if (1) the law enforcement officer had specific and articulable facts which gave rise to a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, and (2) the seizure was reasonably related in scope to the specific facts and circumstances that justified the seizure in the first place. State v. Kennedy, 107 Wash.2d 1, 5-6, 726 P.2d 445 (1986); Williams, 102 Wash.2d at 739, 689 P.2d 1065. An objective standard is used to determine whether the officer's suspicion of criminal activity was reasonable in light of the specific facts and circumstances known to the officer at the time of seizure. Kennedy, 107 Wash.2d at 5-8, 726 P.2d 445. However, whether the scope of the seizure was reasonably related to the circumstances giving rise to the officer's authority may depend on the officer's subjective motives and intentions. See Glossbrener, 146 Wash.2d at 676, 49 P.3d 128 (holding that once an officer decides not to cite an individual for a traffic infraction additional detention must be independently justified).

I agree with the majority that O'Neill was seized by the time Sergeant West ordered him out of the vehicle. Majority at 499. Objectively viewing Sergeant West's order from O'Neill's perspective, no reasonable person would have felt free to leave or end the encounter at that point. Having concluded that a seizure has occurred, we must go to the next step and determine if the seizure was permissible under article I, section 7.
Sergeant West did not obtain a warrant before seizing O'Neill; therefore, we continue with our analysis to determine whether the seizure was permissible under a common law exception to the warrant requirement. 1. Community Caretaking Exception Although the community caretaking exception recognizes the public interest in having law enforcement officials assist stranded motorists, and O'Neill was a stranded motorist, it is not applicable in this case. Our analysis of the community caretaking exception in this case should begin and end with the first prong: determining whether Sergeant West's actions were totally divorced from an investigative function. See Kinzy, 141 Wash.2d at 385, 5 P.3d 668. From the beginning Sergeant West's actions were for the purpose of investigating a potential burglary at the minimart. Moreover, there is no evidence that Sergeant West offered to assist O'Neill with his vehicle. Instead, Sergeant West requested that O'Neill start the vehicle and then ordered him out of the vehicle to verify his credibility. Because Sergeant West's actions were investigatory, we need not reach the second prong and weigh the public's interest against O'Neill's interest. Consequently, the community caretaking exception does not provide the authority of law necessary to justify the warrantless seizure of O'Neill.