Opinion ID: 2632445
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Ineffective assistance of counsel for failure to move to suppress evidence from the vehicle search

Text: ¶ 81 Gonzales claims ineffective assistance of counsel because his attorney did not move to suppress the evidence obtained in the vehicle search on three separate grounds. First, he claims his attorney should have argued that article I, section 7 of the Washington Constitution [21] provides greater protection from search and seizure than the fourth amendment to the United States Constitution [22] and the evidence discovered in the search was thereby not subject to the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule. Second, Gonzales claims his attorney should have moved to suppress the evidence obtained in the vehicle search because Officer Black immediately placed Gonzales under arrest rather than citing and releasing him. Third, Gonzales claims his attorney should have moved to suppress the evidence obtained in the vehicle search because Officer Black requested identification from him, as a vehicle passenger, for investigatory purposes in violation of State v. Rankin, 151 Wash.2d 689, 92 P.3d 202 (2004). ¶ 82 A criminal defendant who claims ineffective assistance of counsel must prove that (1) the attorney's performance was so deficient that it fell below an objective standard of reasonableness and (2) the attorney's deficient performance prejudiced the defendant. State v. Reichenbach, 153 Wash.2d 126, 130, 101 P.3d 80 (2004) (citing State v. Thomas, 109 Wash.2d 222, 225-26, 743 P.2d 816 (1987), which adopted the test set out in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984)). There are two prongs to the Strickland test. The first prong is deferential and courts grant a strong presumption of reasonableness to counsel's performance. Thomas, 109 Wash.2d at 226, 743 P.2d 816. The second prong requires a showing that the deficient performance was so serious as to deprive a defendant of a fair trial. Id. 225-26. A defendant must meet both prongs to satisfy the test. Id.
¶ 83 Gonzales first claims that because article I, section 7 provides greater protection against search and seizure than the Fourth Amendment and Washington courts do not recognize a good faith exception to the exclusionary rule, the evidence obtained from the vehicle must be suppressed. ¶ 84 As noted in footnote 19, Gonzales relies on State v. Nall, 117 Wash.App. 647, 72 P.3d 200 (2003) for the proposition that Washington courts do not recognize a good faith exception to the exclusionary rule. However, Nall does not support Gonzales' argument because it involved the good faith exception to the probable cause requirement. Moreover, contrary to Gonzales' claim, the State has not urged us to adopt an exception to the exclusionary rule and does not need to. The State argues only that Officer Black searched Gonzales' vehicle under a well recognized exception to the warrant requirement because the search was conducted incident to Gonzales' arrest. ¶ 85 We conclude there is no reasonable probability that the outcome of the proceeding would have been different even if Gonzales' attorney had moved to suppress the evidence obtained in the vehicle search on the grounds that Washington courts do not recognize a good faith exception to the exclusionary rule.
¶ 86 Gonzales next claims that his attorney erred by not arguing that Officer Black failed to use discretion to issue a citation or make a full custodial arrest for driving with a suspended license as required by former RCW 46.64.015 (1987) [23] and CrRLJ 2.1(b)(1). [24] Gonzales also asserts that Officer Black always makes full custodial arrests for driving while license suspended and always searches vehicles when he makes stops for that offense. ¶ 87 The State does not respond specifically to the ineffective assistance of counsel claim, but argues that even if the statute requires police officers to use discretion, there is no evidence that Officer Black did not use it here. It notes that he only testified that he chose to arrest in this case. Further, the State argues that various factors favored arrest over citing and releaseGonzales did not have a driver's license, he could not show he owned the car, and he did not have a valid registration. ¶ 88 A police officer has discretion to make a full custodial arrest or to issue a citation for the offense of driving while license suspended. State v. Pulfrey, 154 Wash.2d 517, 525-27, 111 P.3d 1162 (2005). If an officer has probable cause to believe a person is driving with a suspended license, he or she may place that person under custodial arrest without considering other alternatives he or she has available under the statute or the rule while conducting an investigation. Id. at 526, 111 P.3d 1162. Further, as the State notes, there is no indication in the record that Officer Black did not use discretion when he arrested Gonzales. ¶ 89 We conclude there is no reasonable probability that the outcome of the proceeding would have been different even if Gonzales' attorney had argued that Officer Black failed to use the required discretion when he arrested Gonzales for driving while license suspended.
¶ 90 Lastly, Gonzales' claims that his attorney should have moved to suppress the evidence obtained from the vehicle search because, in violation of Rankin, Officer Black improperly requested his identification as a vehicle passenger. The State does not respond substantively to the ineffective assistance of counsel claim, but argues that Officer Black had a valid investigative purpose for asking for Gonzales' identification because he had observed Gonzales driving the vehicle earlier when he noticed the cracked windshield. ¶ 91 Gonzales misapplies our decision in Rankin. In that case, law enforcement officers had not observed the passengers doing anything to invite the officers' suspicion. Rankin, 151 Wash.2d at 692-93, 92 P.3d 202. Here, Officer Black observed Gonzales driving the vehicle with a cracked windshield. When he checked the vehicle registration, he found that the registration had expired. Although Gonzales was no longer driving the vehicle when Officer Black stopped it, Gonzales had been driving the vehicle at the time Officer Black observed the infractions. In other words, Officer Black remained justified in asking for Gonzales' identification even though Gonzales was no longer driving the vehicle. ¶ 92 We conclude there is no reasonable probability that the outcome of the proceeding would have been different even if Gonzales' attorney had objected to admission of the evidence obtained from the vehicle search based on Officer Black's request for Gonzales' identification.