Opinion ID: 1277746
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: private citizen complaints

Text: This case presents this Court with the complex and troublesome issue of whether private citizens should be required to present a criminal complaint for both felony and misdemeanor cases to the prosecuting attorney [1] or the appropriate law enforcement agency before the matter is presented to a magistrate for the issuance of a summons or complaint. The petitioner and the state, in its amicus brief, urge this Court to adopt a procedure requiring private citizens to first present criminal complaints to the prosecuting attorney or the appropriate law enforcement agency to determine if there is sufficient evidence to present the matter to the magistrate for a probable cause determination and the issuance of a warrant or summons. At the outset, we would like to emphasize that the term private citizens does not include law enforcement officers. The filing of criminal complaints before a magistrate is governed by Rule 3 of the West Virginia Rules of Criminal Procedure, [2] which provides: Rule 3. The Complaint. The complaint is a written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. It shall be made upon oath before a magistrate. The procedure for filing criminal complaints is also governed by Rule 3 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure for the Magistrate Courts of West Virginia: Rule 3. Complaint. The complaint is a written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. The complaint shall be presented to and sworn or affirmed before a magistrate, in the county where the offense is alleged to have occurred, by any person showing reason to have reliable information and belief. If from the facts stated in the complaint the magistrate finds probable cause, the complaint becomes the charging instrument initiating a criminal proceeding. This Court has previously addressed the power of a private citizen to institute criminal proceedings before a magistrate under W.Va.R.Crim.P. 4(a). [3] In In re Monroe, 174 W.Va. 401, 327 S.E.2d 163 (1985), [4] we specifically disapproved of a procedure whereby the magistrate required a police investigation prior to a finding of probable cause and the issuance of an arrest warrant in felony cases. We recognized that a police investigation is not a prerequisite to the issuance of an arrest warrant under W.Va.R.Crim.P. 4(a)[,] and that [a]lthough a police investigation may coincidentally be conducted, such an investigation does not provide the legal basis for a finding of probable cause. 174 W.Va. at 405, 327 S.E.2d at 167. We held in syllabus point 3: The determination of whether probable cause exists to support the issuance of an arrest warrant under W.Va.R.Crim.P. 4 is solely a judicial function to be performed by the magistrate and is to be based upon the contents of `the complaint, or from an affidavit or affidavits filed with the complaint.' See also syl. pt. 3, In re Wharton, 175 W.Va. 348, 332 S.E.2d 650 (1985). [5] However, despite the disapproval we expressed in In re Monroe, the case before us has brought to our attention the misuse of the procedure allowing citizens to file criminal complaints without any investigation by the prosecuting attorney or the appropriate law enforcement agency, and the administrative disorder which has resulted therefrom. Therefore, notwithstanding our holding in In re Monroe, we deem it necessary to reevaluate the rule allowing private citizens to file criminal complaints for misdemeanors and felonies without any investigation by the prosecuting attorney or the appropriate law enforcement agency. As part of our analysis of the rule allowing citizens to file misdemeanor and felony complaints, we shall review the various procedures for filing criminal complaints followed on both the federal and state levels.