Opinion ID: 273830
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Recording of Phone Booth Conversations.

Text: 18 The appellant argues that the evidence obtained at the time of the recording of the appellant's end of the conversations in the phone booth constituted an illegal search and seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Appellant urges this on authority of Silverman v. United States, 365 U.S. 505, 81 S.Ct. 679, 5 L.Ed.2d 734 (1961), which he says expresses the current attitude of the Supreme Court. 19 In the Silverman case the agents used a spike microphone which was driven into a party wall. It contacted a heating duct of the house occupied by the petitioners. This enabled the agents to hear conversations in the entire house, including conversations on the telephone. The case was reversed because of the invasion into a 'constitutionally protected area.' The court said, 'the officers overheard the petitioners' conversations only by usurping part of the petitioners' house or office'. (365 U.S. at 511, 81 S.Ct. at 682). It was held to be a violation of the petitioner's Fourth Amendment rights. 20 Appellant cites cases which we have considered. In People of the State of California v. Hurst, 325 F.2d 891 (9 Cir. 1963), there was an unlawful invasion of premises used as a residence. We do not consider Lopez v. United States, 373 U.S. 427, 83 S.Ct. 1381, 10 L.Ed.2d 462 (1963), as authority sustaining appellant's position as that case sustained the right to record a conversation between a government agent and the suspect. United States v. Paroutian, 299 F.2d 486 (2 Cir. 1962), was reversed because a search of an apartment without a warrant produced evidence later used to search the same apartment after the defendant's right to possession had terminated. This last case would apply only if we found that the evidence obtained by the recording of the phone conversations here was in violation of appellant's Fourth Amendment rights. This we decline to do. 21 The public phone booth was used by appellant, who argues that when he occupied it for the purpose of engaging in a personal conversation and closed the door to the booth, he is in effect in his own residence. By invitation from the telephone company and the payment of the toll he says he is entitled to consider the booth protected from intrusion by the Fourth Amendment. In Smayda v. United States, 352 F.2d 251 (9 Cir. 1965), police officers observed events in a stall in a public toilet through a camouflaged hole in the ceiling. The court held that this was not a violation of the Fourth Amendment rights of the defendants on two grounds, 1) the appellants impliedly consented to the search when they carried on their illegal acts in a public toilet, and 2) there was no unreasonable search within the meaning of the amendment. 352 F.2d at 253, 256. 22 In Olmstead v. United States, 277 U.S. 438, 48 S.Ct. 564, 72 L.Ed. 944 (1928), evidence was introduced which was obtained by tapping the wires of the telephones used by petitioners. It was held that the use of the evidence did not violate the Fourth Amendment rights of defendants. 23 In Goldman v. United States, 316 U.S. 129, 62 S.Ct. 993, 86 L.Ed. 1322 (1942), federal agents were permitted to testify to conversations overheard by the use of a detectaphone applied to the walls of a room adjoining the office of the defendant. This is similar to the instant case. It was held not to be an invasion of defendant's office. 24 In the recent case of Corngold v. United States, 367 F.2d 1, 3 (9 Cir. 1966), the appellant objected to the evidence obtained by the use of a 'scintillator', an instrument sensitive to radiation. Customs agents saw appellant carrying packages into his apartment. The officers observed the appellant and two other men carrying packages from the apartment to the appellant's car. They followed the appellant as he drove to the Los Angeles International Airport. The scintillator, when used outside of the appellant's apartment, and while following appellant's car, reacted so as to indicate that there was a radioactive substance in the possession of the appellant. The court there said: 25 'Appellant contends that the walls of his apartment were 'penetrated' and his apartment was searched by means of the scintillation detector in violation of his Fourth Amendment rights, and that it was error to admit evidence obtained in this way. 'The agents entered the apartment building through an unlocked public entrance. They employed the scintillator in public hallways outside appellant's apartment. Goldman v. United States, 316 U.S. 129, (62 S.Ct. 993, 86 L.Ed. 1322) (1942), is controlling authority that appellant's Fourth Amendment rights were not violated. See also On Lee v. United States, 343 U.S. 747, 752-754, (72 S.Ct. 967, 96 L.Ed. 1270) (1952).' 26 The Corngold case sustains the government in the use of the evidence obtained by microphones and tape recordings of the telephone conversations of the appellant in this case. There was no physical entrance into the area occupied by appellant: The Corngold case was reversed on the ground that the agents were not authorized to search the packages in the airport terminal without a search warrant. Here a search warrant was obtained and executed. 27