Opinion ID: 2336250
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Logbook and Two Bags

Text: To support the propriety of the seizures and searches of the logbook, bank bag, and brown bag, the Commonwealth avers that because the trucking industry is a closely regulated industry, commercial drivers have a lesser expectation of privacy in their vehicles and their contents. Its argument follows that the police officers conducted proper seizures and searches of Appellant's logbook and two bags pursuant to a statutory scheme to promote the safe operation and maintenance of his commercial vehicle. [8] While it is well established that the police must possess probable cause to search a business premise when there is suspicion of illegal activity, an administrative search does not always require a showing of probable cause. See Commonwealth, Department of Environmental Resources v. Blosenski Disposal Service, 523 Pa. 274, 281-85, 566 A.2d 845, 848-50 (1989); Commonwealth v. Slaton, 530 Pa. 207, 214-15, 608 A.2d 5, 8-9 (1992); Burger, 482 U.S. at 702-703, 107 S.Ct. at 2643-44. An owner of a business may not enjoy an expectation of privacy equal to that of a personal residence. See Blosenski, 523 Pa. at 281, 566 A.2d at 848; Burger, 482 U.S. at 699, 107 S.Ct. at 2642. In the name of protecting the public's welfare, the government often weaves an intricate web of regulatory scrutiny. Some industries have such a true history of government oversight that owners of those closely regulated businesses should have little or no expectation of privacy. Burger, 482 at 700, 107 S.Ct. at 2642. Depending on the statutory scheme, owners of certain closely regulated businesses should expect that their businesses would be subject to warrantless administrative searches. See, e.g., Blosenski, 523 Pa. 274, 566 A.2d 845 (solid waste management industry); Burger, 482 U.S. 691, 107 S.Ct. 2636, 96 L.Ed.2d 601 (automobile junk yard business); Donovan v. Dewey, 452 U.S. 594, 101 S.Ct. 2534, 69 L.Ed.2d 262 (1981) (mining industry); United States v. Biswell, 406 U.S. 311, 92 S.Ct. 1593, 32 L.Ed.2d 87 (1972) (gun dealers); Colonnade Catering Corp. v. United States, 397 U.S. 72, 90 S.Ct. 774, 25 L.Ed.2d 60 (1970) (liquor industry and related retailers). According to the United States Supreme Court, a search without a warrant of a closely regulated business will be reasonable if it satisfies the following three criteria: First there must be a substantial government interest that informs the regulatory scheme pursuant to which the inspection is made.... Second, the warrantless inspection must be necessary to further [the] regulatory scheme.... Finally, the statute's inspection program, in terms of the certainty and regularity of its application, [must] provid[e] a constitutionally adequate substitute for a warrant. In other words, the regulatory statute must perform the two basic functions of a warrant: it must advise the owner of the commercial premises that the search is being made pursuant to the law and has a properly defined scope, and it must limit the discretion of the inspecting officers. Burger, 482 U.S. at 702-703, 107 S.Ct. at 2644 (citations omitted). Courts should treat a business as closely regulated, if the statutes and regulations governing it are sufficiently comprehensive and defined, so that the owner of commercial property cannot help but be aware that his property will be subject to periodic inspections undertaken for specific purposes. Id. at 705 n. 16, 107 S.Ct. at 2645 n. 16 (quoting Donovan, 452 U.S. at 600, 101 S.Ct. at 2539). We agree with the trial court and the Superior Court that trucking is a closely regulated industry. See Commonwealth v. Pollock, 414 Pa.Super. 66, 78, 606 A.2d 500, 506 (1992), alloc. denied, 533 Pa. 618, 619 A.2d 700 (1993); Commonwealth v. Berry, 305 Pa.Super. 8, 12-14, 451 A.2d 4, 6-7 (1982); V-1 Oil Co. v. Means, 94 F.3d 1420, 1425-26 (10th Cir.1996); United States v. Dominguez-Prieto, 923 F.2d 464, 468 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 500 U.S. 936, 111 S.Ct. 2063, 114 L.Ed.2d 468 (1991). See also United States v. Shaefer, Michael, and Clairton Slag, Inc., 637 F.2d 200 (3d. Cir.1980) (suggesting that trucking industry in Commonwealth is closely regulated industry but reversing on other grounds). The trial court and the Superior Court cite a variety of state and federal statutes and regulations to support their conclusion but primarily rely on a chapter of the Motor Vehicle Code entitled Inspection of Vehicles. 75 Pa.C.S. § 4701 et seq. The courts examined the following provisions of Section 4704 of the Motor Vehicle Code, which provide in relevant part: § 4704. Inspection by police or Commonwealth personnel (a) Authority to inspect.  ... (3) Probable cause.  (i) Any State Police officer or qualified Commonwealth employee having probable cause to believe that a vehicle, driver, documents, equipment or load are [sic] unsafe, not equipped as required or otherwise not in compliance with the law or regulations may inspect the vehicle, driver, documents, equipment or load. (ii) Any police officer having probable cause to believe that a vehicle or its equipment is unsafe, not equipped as required or otherwise not in compliance with the law or regulations may inspect the vehicle or its equipment. ... (d) Authority of police and qualified Commonwealth employees. Any police officer or qualified Commonwealth employee shall be authorized to detain and inspect any sealed or unsealed vehicle, container or shipment which they have probable cause to believe may be in violation of the law or Commonwealth regulations while in transit or in maintenance facilities, terminals or other public or private property to ascertain if commodities or materials are being unloaded, stored or transported in an illegal manner; to inspect contents; to inspect and copy documents and otherwise to ensure compliance with the law and Commonwealth regulations, except that only State Police and qualified Commonwealth employees shall have the authority to enforce any law or regulation pertaining to drivers, including, but not limited to, minimum driver qualifications, maximum hours of service and driver records, or pertaining specifically to hazardous materials. 75 Pa.C.S. § 4704(a)(3), (d). See also 67 Pa.Code § 229.364 (implementing 75 Pa. C.S. § 4704). The trial court also cited Section 6308(b) of the Motor Vehicle Code, which provides: Whenever a police officer is engaged in a systematic program of checking vehicles or has articulable and reasonable grounds to suspect a violation of [the Motor Vehicle Code] he may stop a vehicle, upon request or signal, for the purpose of checking the vehicle's registration, proof of financial responsibility, vehicle identification number or engine number or the drivers license, or to secure such other information as the officer may reasonably believe to be necessary to enforce the provisions of [the Motor Vehicle Code]. 75 Pa.C.S. § 6308(b). Based on the observations made by the police at the accident scene, the trial court found that the police had a reasonable and articulable suspicion to believe that Appellant had violated the Motor Vehicle Code by driving at an excessive speed. This suspicion permitted the police to obtain from the already stopped tractor-trailer Appellant's registration, license, proof of insurance, and information related to speeding. State and federal regulations require drivers of commercial vehicles to maintain and possess a logbook, which details, among other information, the driver's daily time and mileage of travel for one week. 67 Pa.Code § 229.343; 49 C.F.R. § 395.8. See also 75 Pa.C.S. § 6103(c) (authorizing Penn. D.O.T. to adopt federal statutes or regulations relating to vehicles or drivers). The Commonwealth has adopted the federal rule, setting a maximum time allowable for commercial driving. 67 Pa.Code § 229.341; see 49 C.F.R. § 395.3 (establishing driving time limits). Our first step is to analyze the specific statutory scheme regulating the trucking industry to comprehend whether it advances a substantial government interest. The prosecution contends that requiring the maintenance of logbooks and allowing the inspection of logbooks and other driver documents promotes safe travel throughout the Commonwealth. There can be no dispute that the Commonwealth has a substantial interest in regulating the trucking industry for public safety. [9] An examination of a logbook may disclose whether a commercial driver has exceeded the number of hours of operation permitted by law, which might cause fatigue. A review of shipping invoices, toll receipts, and other documents may reveal the accuracy of the logbook. The second question of the Burger test is whether every warrantless inspection of a driver's logbook and related documents serves to protect drivers or passengers from the dangers associated with exhaustion, overweight loads, or failing equipment. Additional scrutiny of Section 4704 reveals that the legislature did not intend to authorize the police to conduct searches without warrants of the contents of every commercial vehicle involved in a traffic violation. The trial court and Superior Court erred by analyzing some parts of the inspection statute, while ignoring other parts. When interpreting one section of a statute, courts must not read that section without reference to the other sections. 1 Pa.C.S. § 1922; Cellucci v. General Motors Corporation, 550 Pa. 407, 414, 706 A.2d 806, 809 (1998). Subsection 4704(a)(1) gives police and officials engaged in weighing vehicles the authority to inspect a vehicle's equipment to determine whether the vehicle meets weight and load requirements. 75 Pa.C.S. § 4704(a)(1). Subsection 4704(a)(2) authorizes police and officials engaged in a systematic inspection program to inspect vehicles, drivers, documents, equipment, and load to ascertain compliance with Penn D.O.T. regulations. 75 Pa.C.S. § 4704(a)(2). Viewed in its entirety, Section 4704 is intended to allow police or other authorities to inspect vehicles for ongoing violations of the Motor Vehicle Code to prevent future harm. Section 4704(a)(1) enables the police to stop and inspect tractor-trailers to avert potential accidents. Similarly, Section 4704(a)(2) permits police or other qualified state officials to execute an established vehicle inspection program. Such an inspection program attempts to remove unsafe vehicles from the roadways before an accident occurs. Cf. Pollock, 414 Pa.Super. 66, 78, 606 A.2d 500, 506 (holding that 75 Pa.C.S. § 4981(a) and 75 Pa. C.S. § 6308(b) permit police to stop, weigh, and measure vehicles); Commonwealth v. Berry, 305 Pa.Super. 8, 14, 451 A.2d 4, 7 (1982) (requiring articulable and reasonable suspicion that vehicle is overweight to make stop); American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. Larson, 683 F.2d 787, 799 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1036, 103 S.Ct. 448 (1981) (finding that public safety was a reasonable basis for tractor-trailer inspection program pursuant to 75 Pa.C.S. § 4703 (a)(2)). Likewise, Section 6308(b) cannot authorize an administrative search without a warrant of the items seized in the present facts. Section 6308(b) provides that when an officer has reasonable and articulable suspicion of a Motor Vehicle Code violation, he may stop the vehicle involved for the purpose of checking specifically enumerated documents or to secure other information that he believes is reasonably necessary to enforce the Motor Vehicle Code. 75 Pa.C.S. § 6308(b). While this statute permits the police to make an investigatory stop in light of an articulable and reasonably perceived violation and request specific documents, such as a registration and license, it does not give the police unlimited discretion to search a vehicle or driver for evidence of a crime. Accordingly, we conclude that Section 6308(b) does not empower the police, who are investigating a commercial driver for vehicular homicide, possibly caused by speeding, to conduct a warrantless search of his logbooks or other documents, which are kept to detail hours and expenses of operation. To appreciate the reasonableness of a general search, courts must balance the individual's expectation in privacy against the government's compelling interests, such as public safety. See Commonwealth v. Cass, 551 Pa. 25, 53-55, 709 A.2d 350, 364-5, cert. denied, Cass v. Pennsylvania, ___ U.S. ___, 119 S.Ct. 89, 142 L.Ed.2d 70 (1998). Warrantless administrative searches of logbooks and travel-related receipts of commercial drivers who have been involved in accidents do not further the statutory scheme of inspecting commercial vehicles and drivers for weight, equipment, and load violations. The Commonwealth argues that inspections without warrants of truck drivers' logbooks, invoices, and receipts enable the police to remove from the road unsafe drivers who are exhausted. The critical flaw of this argument is that warrantless inspections of logbooks and travel receipts cannot prevent accidents that have already occurred and will not reoccur. The aforementioned provisions of the Motor Vehicle Code are limited to vehicle and driver inspections to prevent future harm. Any other reading would be overly expansive. In view of the fact that the police had detained Appellant and were going to impound his tractor-trailer, they had already taken a potentially dangerous vehicle or driver off the road. Because a post-accident, warrantless inspection of Appellant's logbook and related documents could not advance the objective of the statutes, the police lacked a reasonable basis to conduct such a search. The closely regulated business exception to the probable cause and warrant requirements is not applicable in criminal cases. The police cannot conduct a warrantless administrative search to advance a criminal investigation under the pretext of addressing a specific, compelling governmental interest advanced by a statutory scheme. See Slaton, 530 Pa. at 214, 608 A.2d at 8; Commonwealth v. Hudak, 710 A.2d 1213, 1217 (Pa.Super.1998); Burger, 482 U.S. at 717 n. 27, 107 S.Ct. at 2651 n. 27 (finding no evidence that administrative search was pretext to locate evidence of crime). [10] The Supreme Court of the United States has held that a valid administrative search without a warrant that uncovers evidence of a crime does not violate the Fourth Amendment. See Burger, 482 U.S. at 716, 107 S.Ct. at 2651 (upholding administrative search of automobile junk yard, which resulted in charges for unlicensed operation of facility and possession of stolen vehicles); Biswell, 406 U.S. at 312-13 & n. 2, 92 S.Ct. at 1594-95 & n. 2 (upholding administrative inspection of pawnshop, which culminated in charges for record keeping violations, tax evasion, and possession of unlicensed firearms). That holding is supported by Article 1, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. A regulatory statute may have the effect of deterring criminal activity and still not conflict with either state or federal warrant requirements. The line between administrative regulation and criminal deterrence is easily blurred, and we will not find an administrative statute unconstitutional merely because it has the same ultimate purpose as penal laws. See Burger, 482 U.S. at 713-16, 107 S.Ct. at 2649-51. The facts in this case, however, suggest that the police used Section 4704 or 6308(b) of the Motor Vehicle Code as a pretext to conduct a search to advance their criminal investigation of Appellant. We agree with the Superior Court that the officers were legitimately present at the accident scene to both secure the area and investigate the possible causes of the collision. Furthermore, the length of the skid marks, indicating a failure to brake in a timely manner, and the clarity of the day gave the police sufficient reason to enter the empty truck to check the emergency brake and related equipment. Yet, the exigent circumstances that allowed the officers to enter the truck for the limited purpose of checking equipment to prevent further harm did not permit the police to seize and search Appellant's logbook and two bags. It is also the position of the Commonwealth that if the police had to obtain a warrant before inspecting the documents at issue, truck drivers might alert noncompliant drivers of impending inspections, giving them an opportunity to update or alter their records, which would frustrate the regulatory requirements. See Burger, 482 U.S. at 710, 107 S.Ct. at 2648; Donovan, 452 U.S. at 603, 101 S.Ct. at 2540; United States v. Dominguez-Prieto, 923 F.2d at 469. It is specious to think that, having just been involved in a collision, one commercial driver will warn others to revise their logbooks because the police are checking documents of truck drivers involved in accidents. The third criterion of the Burger test requires that an inspection program provide a constitutionally adequate substitute for the warrant requirement. Burger requires that the statute clearly inform the owner that his business is subject to periodic inspections for a specific purpose. The statute must reasonably restrict the scope and frequency of the inspection program to achieve the statutory objective. The statute also must limit the discretion of inspectors to address the specific purpose of the statutory scheme. In the present case, the police did not conduct the seizure and search of the logbook and bags to carry out the statutory scheme requiring the maintenance of those documents. Thus, we do not address the adequacy of the relied upon statutes' substitute for the warrant requirement. Because the searches and seizures of the logbook and two bags were not necessary to further a statutory scheme established by the Commonwealth or federal law, we hold that the closely regulated business exception to the warrant requirement does not apply to the facts in this case. The trial court erred by not suppressing that evidence.