Opinion ID: 2227980
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: scope of pat-down search

Text: Andre next contends that even if the police were justified in conducting a pat-down search, the actions of the police in asking him to remove his shoes and patting down his socks exceeded the permissible scope of a pat down for weapons under Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968). The standard has long been that an officer who reasonably believes that a person is armed and dangerous is entitled for the protection of himself or herself and others to conduct a carefully limited search of the outer clothing of such person in order to discover weapons which may be used to assault him or her. See id.; State v. Craven, 253 Neb. 601, 571 N.W.2d 612 (1997). The majority of states which have addressed the issue have found that a pat-down search involving the removal of a shoe is permissible under Terry if the officer acted with the intent of finding concealed weapons. See, C.G. v. State, 689 So.2d 1246 (Fla.App. 1997); Stone v. State, 671 N.E.2d 499 (Ind. App.1996); Hodges v. State, 678 So.2d 1049 (Ala.1996). But see State v. Mitchell, 87 Ohio App.3d 484, 622 N.E.2d 680 (1993) (search of shoes impermissible absent sufficient articulable facts indicating that reasonably prudent person would believe defendant to be armed and dangerous); Thompson v. State, 551 So.2d 1248, 1249 (Fla.App.1989) ([a]n officer may not continue to search the inside of a suspect's shoes in the hopes of finding contraband unless the officer reasonably believes the object concealed might be a weapon); Commonwealth v. Borges, 395 Mass. 788, 482 N.E.2d 314 (1985) (search of shoes beyond scope permitted by Terry, absent evidence that officers feared for their safety in asking defendant to remove his shoes). For example, in Stone, supra, police investigating a possible drug transaction conducted a pat-down search of a suspect that included the removal of his high-top tennis shoes. Noting that the officer's motivation in looking in the shoes was to uncover weapons that might be hidden there and not to look for drugs, the Indiana Court of Appeals held that such a search was permissible pursuant to Terry, supra . In particular, the court stated: [The officer] asked [the suspect] to remove his shoe solely for the purpose to ensure the safety of the situation. It is not unreasonable for a reasonable and prudent person to suspect a weapon could be hidden in an untied high top athletic shoe. Requesting the removal of a shoe is not overly intrusive given a situation where the officer sincerely fears a hidden weapon might be concealed. The nature of determining the appropriate scope of police action in any given situation is extremely fact sensitive. Stone, 671 N.E.2d at 503. Likewise, in Hodges, supra, the court determined that police officers could lift a suspect's pant leg and look in the suspect's boot when the officers had a reasonable fear that the suspect could easily have hidden weapons there. Miller testified that on the basis of his training and experience, persons encountered during execution of a warrant to search premises for controlled substances were known to conceal weapons in their socks and shoes, and that his search of Andre was for the specific purpose of finding concealed weapons. At the time of the search, Miller had a reasonable basis for suspecting that Andre was involved in illegal narcotics distribution, since Andre was encountered in what an informant had essentially described as a crack house and generally fit the description of the suspected drug dealer set forth in the search warrant. Under the totality of the circumstances reflected in this record, we agree with the Court of Appeals that Miller had a reasonable and articulable suspicion that Andre might have a concealed weapon in his shoe or sock and that the removal of Andre's shoes and pat down of his socks constituted a reasonable, nonintrusive search for weapons which did not violate Andre's rights under the Fourth Amendment.