Opinion ID: 787972
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Seizure of the vehicle and its occupants

Text: 12 The primary interests that the Fourth Amendment protects include an interest in freedom of movement and insulation from the fear and anxiety produced by unlawful seizure. In the traffic stop scenario, these interests are personal to all occupants of the vehicle that is detained, United States v. Mesa, 62 F.3d 159 (6th Cir.1995), because the detention affects an occupant's interest in freedom from such seizures. See Michigan Dep't of State Police v. Sitz, 496 U.S. 444, 450, 110 S.Ct. 2481, 110 L.Ed.2d 412 (1990) (recognizing that a passenger may challenge his detention because all occupants of a stopped vehicle are subject to a Fourth Amendment seizure); see also Delaware v. Prouse, 440 U.S. 648, 653, 99 S.Ct. 1391, 59 L.Ed.2d 660 (1979) (noting that each occupant has an interest in freedom from random, unauthorized, investigatory seizures); United States v. Kimball, 25 F.3d 1, 5 (1st Cir.1994) (interest in freedom of movement and the interest in being free from fear and surprise are personal to all occupants of a vehicle). 13 Unlawful seizure occurs when an officer, without reasonable suspicion, by means of physical force or show of authority ... in some way restrain[s] the liberty of a citizen. Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 19 n. 16, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968). One's liberty is restrained when a reasonable person would not feel free to walk away and ignore the officer's requests. United States v. Mendenhall, 446 U.S. 544, 554, 100 S.Ct. 1870, 64 L.Ed.2d 497 (1980). In United States v. Hill, 195 F.3d 258, 264 (6th Cir.1999), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 1176, 120 S.Ct. 1207, 145 L.Ed.2d 1110 (2000), this Court determined that [o]nce the purposes of the traffic stop [are] completed, a motorist cannot be further detained unless something that occurred during the stop caused the officer to have a reasonable, articulable suspicion that criminal activity was afoot. See also United States v. Mesa, 62 F.3d 159, 162 (6th Cir.1995) (Once the purposes of the initial traffic stop were completed, there is no doubt that the officer could not further detain the vehicle or its occupants unless something that occurred during the traffic stop generated the necessary reasonable suspicion to justify a further detention.). Thus, in determining whether the Fourth Amendment forbids the action taken by Officer Fisher in this case, we must decide whether there was a seizure, and, if so, whether Officer Fisher had reasonable suspicion for effecting the seizure. 14 In determining whether a particular encounter between an officer and a citizen constitutes a seizure, we recognize that words alone may be enough to make a reasonable person feel that he would not be free to leave. See United States v. Buchanon, 72 F.3d 1217, 1223 (6th Cir.1995) (quoting Mendenhall, 446 U.S. at 554, 100 S.Ct. 1870). In the instant case, the traffic stop concluded when Officer Fisher handed Collier the citation and shook his hand. Collier was then free to leave, until Officer Fisher asked him to remain behind the vehicle. The United States makes much of the fact that Officer Fisher did not display an intimidating demeanor or use coercive language, but rather said, Okay, just hang out right here for me, okay? Regardless of Officer Fisher's demeanor, however, his words alone were enough to make a reasonable person in Collier's shoes feel that he would not be free to walk away and ignore Officer Fisher's request. When the driver is not free to leave, neither are his passengers; indeed, the passengers are at the mercy of any police officer who is withholding the return of their driver. See Sitz, 496 U.S. at 450, 110 S.Ct. 2481; Prouse, 440 U.S. at 653, 99 S.Ct. 1391; Kimball, 25 F.3d at 5. Thus, defendant Richardson's freedom of movement was subject to the will of Officer Fisher for as long as Officer Fisher detained Collier behind the car. 15 The United States argues that while the occupants may not have wanted to leave the scene, that says nothing about whether Officer Fisher's conduct toward them was coercive. However, so long as Collier obeyed Officer Fisher's instruction to remain outside of the vehicle, his passengers were as unable as he to leave the scene. Also, that Darnell moved from his original position to the driver's seat does not affect our conclusion. This movement by itself indicates nothing about his willingness to drive away without Collier or his belief that he could lawfully take such action.