Opinion ID: 493363
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Admission of Detective Altieri's Testimony

Text: 30 Espinosa challenges the admission of certain testimony by Detective Altieri (1) that the defendant was using the Sepulveda apartment as a stash pad for money and narcotics, (2) that the pay and owe ledgers found in the Sepulveda apartment contained the names of the defendant's cocaine buyers, and (3) that an exchange of packages on August 16 was an exchange of narcotics for money. He argues that this testimony was not a proper subject of expert testimony under Fed.R.Evid. 702 because the subject matter was not beyond the understanding of the average layman, and that its admission was highly prejudicial to his defense. The decision to admit expert testimony is committed to the discretion of the district court and will not be disturbed unless manifestly erroneous. See United States v. Andersson, 813 F.2d 1450, 1458 (9th Cir.1987); United States v. McCollum, 802 F.2d 344, 345-46 (9th Cir.1986). 31 Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence provides that a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education may offer expert testimony [i]f scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue. Fed.R.Evid. 702 (emphasis added). Law enforcement officers with sufficient qualifications may testify concerning the methods and techniques employed in an area of criminal activity. Andersson, 813 F.2d at 1458; McCollum, 802 F.2d at 346; United States v. Rogers, 769 F.2d 1418, 1425 (9th Cir.1985). We therefore reject Espinosa's assertion that Detective Altieri's opinion was not based on a particular science or specialized field of training. The record amply establishes that Detective Altieri was qualified to testify as an expert on the modus operandi of narcotics traffickers. See 3 Reporter's Transcript of Proceedings (R.T.) at 88-97; Andersson, 813 F.2d at 1458. 32 Rule 704 provides that opinion testimony may be given even if it encompasses an ultimate issue to be resolved by the trier of fact, unless the testimony concerns the defendant's mental state or condition. Fed.R.Evid. 704. A witness, however, may not give a direct opinion on the defendant's guilt or innocence. United States v. Fleishman, 684 F.2d 1329, 1335-36 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1044, 103 S.Ct. 464, 74 L.Ed.2d 614 (1982). 33 In a series of cases, we have upheld admission of a law enforcement officer's expert testimony that the defendant's activities indicated that he acted in accordance with usual criminal modus operandi. In Fleishman, we upheld admission of an officer's testimony that the defendant's actions showed that he was acting as a lookout in a drug trafficking conspiracy case. Fleishman, 684 F.2d at 1335-36. In United States v. Maher, 645 F.2d 780 (9th Cir.1981) (per curiam), we upheld admission of an agent's testimony that the defendant's activities were similar to the modus operandi of persons conducting counter-surveillance while transporting drugs. Id. at 783-84. And in United States v. Stewart, 770 F.2d 825 (9th Cir.1985), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 1103, 106 S.Ct. 888, 88 L.Ed.2d 922 (1986), we upheld admission of a DEA agent's opinion testimony that (1) the defendant's driving behavior indicated that he was attempting to avoid surveillance and (2) that he probably was delivering drugs to customers on another occasion. Id. at 831. We also cited with approval United States v. Carson, 702 F.2d 351 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 462 U.S. 1108, 103 S.Ct. 2456, 77 L.Ed.2d 1335 (1983), in which the Second Circuit upheld admission of expert testimony that a transaction on a street corner appeared to be a drug sale. Stewart, 770 F.2d at 831; see also United States v. Masson, 582 F.2d 961, 964 (5th Cir.1978) (admission of expert testimony to determine if tape-recorded conversations contained evidence of bookmaking operations). 34 In these cases, we have rejected the argument that expert testimony is inadmissible simply because it is founded solely on observations of innocent conduct. For that very reason, the expert testimony may be valuable to the jury. Fleishman, 684 F.2d at 1336. Of course, the extent to which expert testimony may be of assistance to the jury in understanding the evidence is a matter of degree and will vary according to the circumstances of each case. Compare United States v. Arenal, 768 F.2d 263, 269-70 (8th Cir.1985) (2-1 decision) (jury was competent to draw its own conclusion that cocaine with same cutting ingredient came from common source) with United States v. Milton, 555 F.2d 1198, 1203-05 (5th Cir.1977) (expert's interpretation of transcripts of defendants' conversations did not invade province of jury). A trial court should not routinely admit opinions such as those admitted in the present case, but should carefully weigh the testimony's probative value against its possible prejudicial effect. McCollum, 802 F.2d at 346; United States v. Young, 745 F.2d 733, 765-66 (2d Cir.1984) (Newman, J., concurring), cert. denied, 470 U.S. 1084, 105 S.Ct. 1842, 85 L.Ed.2d 142 (1985); Fed.R.Evid. 403. This weighing is particularly important with the expert testimony of a law enforcement officer, which often carries an  'aura of special reliability and trustworthiness.'  Young, 745 F.2d at 766 (Newman, J., concurring) (quoting United States v. Fosher, 590 F.2d 381, 383 (1st Cir.1979), and United States v. Amaral, 488 F.2d 1148, 1152 (9th Cir.1973)); see Arenal, 768 F.2d at 270. In this case, the trial court properly instructed the jury on the weight it might ascribe to opinion testimony given at trial. 4 In light of our prior holdings, we are unable to conclude that the trial court's admission of the expert testimony was manifestly erroneous. See Stewart, 770 F.2d at 831.