Opinion ID: 691375
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Brown's arrest was supported by probable cause.

Text: 7 Probable cause for a warrantless arrest exists if the facts and circumstances within the law enforcement officer's knowledge are sufficient to warrant a prudent person, or one of reasonable caution, in believing, in the circumstances shown, that the suspect has committed, is committing, or is about to commit an offense. United States v. Morales, 923 F.2d 621, 623 (8th Cir.1991) (internal quotations, modifications and citations omitted). The probable cause determination does not depend upon individual facts; rather it depends on the cumulative effect of the facts in the totality of the circumstances. Id. at 623-24 (internal quotations, modifications and citations omitted). 8 A key issue in determining whether information provided by an informant is sufficient to establish probable cause is whether that information is reliable. An informant may establish the reliability of his information by establishing a track record of providing accurate information. Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 233, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 2329, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983). However, where a previously unknown informant provides information, the informant's lack of a track record requires some independent verification to establish the reliability of the information. United States v. Robertson, 39 F.3d 891, 893 (8th Cir.1994). Independent verification occurs when the information (or aspects of it) is corroborated by the independent observations of police officers. Gates, 462 U.S. at 241-45, 103 S.Ct. at 2333-36. Draper v. United States, 358 U.S. 307, 313, 79 S.Ct. 329, 333, 3 L.Ed.2d 327 (1959); Morales, 923 F.2d at 625. Thus, we turn our attention to whether any aspects of Pack's information were corroborated. 9 Pack's information was partly descriptive (concerning gang activity) and partly predictive (concerning the crack delivery). Corroboration is especially valuable in establishing the reliability of an informant's tip when predictive elements of the tip are corroborated. Id. at 624-25. After arranging the transaction, Pack predicted both the time of delivery (at 6:30 p.m. that evening) and the place of delivery (at a KFC restaurant at the corner of Lexington and University). Pack described the person who was to deliver the cocaine and described the vehicle he would be driving. These elements were confirmed when police observed a black male with short hair on the sides and longer hair on the top driving a black Ram Charger with no license plates and a temporary sticker enter the KFC parking lot at approximately 6:35 p.m. Moreover, upon his arrival, the driver of the Ram Charger acted in a manner that was consistent with the clandestine rendezvous predicted by Pack. In sum, several aspects of Pack's prediction were corroborated by the independent observations of police officers. The value of Pack's information is not diminished merely because the corroborated elements involve innocent behavior. Id. at 625. Rather, the fact that Pack proved correct in certain aspects of his prediction (the innocent behavior) increases the probability that other aspects of his prediction (the criminal behavior) are also correct. Gates, 462 U.S. at 244-45, 103 S.Ct. at 2335-36, United States v. Edmiston, 46 F.3d 786, 788-89 (8th Cir.1995). 10 The reliability of Pack's information was further enhanced by the fact that his descriptive information contained factual details that were not easily discovered. See Gates, 462 U.S. at 245, 103 S.Ct. at 12335. Pack provided accurate information concerning the name of a street gang, the name of the leader of the gang, and a description of gang activities at a specific address. Pack also provided accurate and detailed information about the arranged crack delivery. In sum, Pack's accurate description of gang activity combined with the corroboration of numerous aspects of his prediction was sufficient to warrant a prudent person, or one of reasonable caution, in believing, in the circumstances shown, that [Brown] has committed, is committing, or is about to commit an offense. Morales, 923 F.2d at 623. Accordingly, we hold that Brown's arrest was supported by probable cause and therefore did not violate the Fourth Amendment. 11