Opinion ID: 2997559
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether a Seizure was Unreasonable

Text: In the alternative, we note that, even if Deputy Shelnutt’s conduct towards Mr. Leaf could be considered a seizure, it was reasonable as a matter of law. The reasonableness of a seizure is measured by weighing the governmental need to seize “against the invasion into one’s privacy that the . . . seizure entails.” United States v. Sechrist, 640 F.2d 81, 86 (7th Cir. 1981). When a police officer suspects that criminal activity is afoot, “[a] brief stop of a suspicious individual, in order to determine his identity . . . may be most reasonable in light of the facts known to [an] officer at the time.” Adams v. Williams, 407 U.S. 143, 146 (1972) (citing Terry, 392 U.S. at 21-22). This court has held that “[a]n investigatory stop not amounting to an arrest is authorized if the officer making the stop is ‘able to point to specific and articulable facts’ that give rise to a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.” United States v. Tilmon, 19 F.3d 1221, 1224 (7th Cir. 1994) (quoting Terry, 392 U.S. at 21-22). We judge the reasonableness of an investigatory stop by considering: “(1) whether the police were aware of specific and articulable facts giving rise to reasonable suspicion; and (2) whether the degree of intrusion was reasonably related to the known facts.” Id.; see also Scheets, 188 F.3d at 837. No. 04-1318 37 When evaluating the reasonableness of an investigatory stop, we consider the totality of the circumstances with which the officers were faced, in terms of both “the experience of the law enforcement agent and the behavior and characteristics of the suspect,” and “exclud[ing] any facts learned thereafter.” United States v. Odum, 72 F.3d 1279, 1284 (7th Cir. 1995). Even taking the facts in the light most favorable to the Leafs, as we must when considering qualified immunity, Saucier, 533 U.S. at 201, we think that Deputy Shelnutt’s conduct was reasonable. First, Deputy Shelnutt was aware of sufficient specific and articulable facts to give rise to reasonable suspicion that crime was afoot. As we have noted numerous times, the officers suspected someone had broken into the apartment. Furthermore, as the district court pointed out, “the officers did not know the identity of the [apparently] sleeping man.” R.172 at 9. It is not important that the behavior that the officers observed (Mr. Leaf lying on his bed, apparently sleeping) could have been innocent behavior. Innocent characteristics, when “taken together,” may add up to reasonable suspicion. United States v. Sokolow, 490 U.S. 1, 9 (1989). Indeed, “there could . . . be circumstances in which wholly lawful conduct might justify the suspicion that criminal activity was afoot.” Reid v. Georgia, 448 U.S. 438, 441 (1980) (per curiam) (citing Terry, 392 U.S. at 27-28). The degree of intrusion also was reasonably related to the facts known to the officers while they were in the apartment. The record reflects a minimally intrusive stop. Faced with signs of a break-in and already lawfully within the apartment, Deputy Shelnutt wanted to awaken the man lying on the bed to determine who he was and why he was present. Thus, he moved to nudge the man awake. This behavior hardly can be called intrusive. 38 No. 04-1318 The Leafs argue that Deputy Shelnutt should have attempted to wake Mr. Leaf by a means other than approaching him to nudge him. However, the Supreme Court has held that the reasonableness of an officer’s actions “does not turn on the availability of less intrusive investigatory techniques.” Sokolow, 490 U.S. at 11. Therefore, the manner in which Deputy Shelnutt approached Mr. Leaf does not render unreasonable any seizure that occurred. It also is clear that any seizure that might have occurred did not last any longer than reasonably necessary. At most, Deputy Shelnutt engaged in a brief touch. See, e.g., Hodari D., 499 U.S. at 625 (no continuing seizure after fugitive breaks free of officer’s grasp). The Supreme Court has stated that a court reviewing the duration of an investigative stop should ask “whether the police diligently pursued a means of investigation that was likely to confirm or dispel their suspicions quickly, during which time it was necessary to detain the defendant.” United States v. Sharpe, 470 U.S. 675, 686 (1985). The means of investigation employed by the officers in this case, rousing a man to determine his identity, certainly constituted a quick way to gather information— perhaps the means used were the only way for the officers to learn what they needed to know. Furthermore, when “police are acting in a swiftly developing situation,” as was the case here, a court must not “indulge in unrealistic second-guessing.” Id. Viewing the facts of this case in the light most favorable to the Leafs, we must conclude that there has been no showing that Deputy Shelnutt violated Mr. Leaf’s constitutional rights by his conduct towards Mr. Leaf as Mr. Leaf lay in his bed. There was no seizure, and furthermore, Deputy Shelnutt’s behavior was reasonable. Therefore, he is entitled to qualified immunity as a defense to the Leafs’ claim for illegal seizure. No. 04-1318 39