Opinion ID: 476704
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Requirement of Reasonableness

Text: 55 A determination that a visual inspection of a child's body by a professional caseworker, or other professional acting for the DCFS, may be undertaken without strict adherence, see T.L.O., 105 S.Ct. at 743, to the exacting standards of probable cause or the warrant requirement does not end our inquiry. Plaintiffs could still demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits if they demonstrate, on this record, that the searches will be unreasonable. The fundamental command of the Fourth Amendment is that searches and seizures be reasonable. Id. 56 The test of reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment is not capable of precise definition or mechanical application. In each case it requires a balancing of the need for the particular search against the invasion of personal rights that the search entails. Courts must consider the scope of the particular intrusion, the manner in which it is conducted, the justification for initiating it, and the place in which it is conducted. 57 Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. 520, 559, 99 S.Ct. 1861, 1884, 60 L.Ed.2d 447 (1979). Therefore, keeping in mind that we are reviewing this matter on an appeal from the denial of a preliminary injunction, we must now assess whether this record supports the conclusion of the district judge that, criteria contained in the Handbook ensure that, under all circumstances, the searches conducted by the DCFS are reasonable. 58 Determining the reasonableness of a search involves, the Supreme Court has noted, two basic inquiries: (1) was the action justified at its inception; and (2) was the conduct of the search reasonably related in scope to the circumstances which justified the interference in the first place. Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 19-20, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 1879, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968). In this case, while both issues require our scrutiny, the first is clearly the principal focus of this controversy. Pursuant to the policy established in the Handbook and the Memorandum, the DCFS may conduct physical inspections based on any report of abuse, including an anonymous report, which merely meets the five hot-line criteria used for determining whether a caseworker should be assigned to investigate. 59 In the view of the district court, these hot-line criteria sufficiently circumscribed the discretion of the caseworker and ensured the reasonableness of the search. On this preliminary record, and keeping in mind the standards governing our review in preliminary injunction situations, we cannot definitively say that the district judge is wrong. However, at this point in the litigation, we remain unconvinced that the Handbook will ensure, in all cases, the reasonableness of the visual inspection. The record reflects that over fifty percent of the reported cases turn out after investigation to be unfounded. Def.Ex. 21 at 14. While we are aware of the need for quick verification and of the other considerations which could make corroboration of the hot-line report difficult or even counterproductive, we are somewhat skeptical that, at least in many, or perhaps even in most, cases a somewhat more careful inquiry may not be undertaken. We find disturbing that the Handbook does not appear to require, even in general terms, that the caseworker seek whatever verification of the report is permitted by the time and circumstances. Nor do we understand why the caseworker cannot be instructed to make, as time and circumstances permit, at least some effort to verify reports which are received from minors, anonymous callers, or sources whose reliability might be reasonably suspect. While third party verification can clearly be counterproductive under many circumstances, this record hardly supports the conclusion that it is inadvisable under all circumstances. We are also concerned that the Handbook does not differentiate between the search of the very young child and the search of a child with the maturity and ability to communicate. In further litigation, one of the principal issues will be whether the hot-line criteria are sufficiently precise to achieve the legitimate ends of the DCFS without amounting to a needless intrusion into the privacy of the child and his family. See United States v. Place, 462 U.S. 696, 706, 103 S.Ct. 2637, 2644, 77 L.Ed.2d 110 (1983); Florida v. Royer, 460 U.S. 491, 502, 503 n. 9, 103 S.Ct. 1319, 1326, 1327 n. 9, 75 L.Ed.2d 229 (1983) (plurality opinion); Reid v. Georgia, 448 U.S. 438, 440, 100 S.Ct. 2752, 2753, 65 L.Ed.2d 890 (1980); United States v. Mendenhall, 446 U.S. 544, 547, 100 S.Ct. 1870, 1873, 64 L.Ed.2d 497 (1980). The DCFS may indeed be able to establish to the satisfaction of the trial judge and later to us and, possibly, the Supreme Court, that no more precise inquiry is possible under the circumstances. 8 60 With respect to the manner in which the search is conducted, we also have, at least at this preliminary stage of the litigation, some question as to whether the present Handbook provides for adequate notice to the caretaker before a visual inspection is conducted outside the presence of the caretaker. It is also not clear why more precise instructions are not possible to ensure adequate respect for the maturity and the gender of the child. 61 We understand that the DCFS cannot anticipate and address every situation the caseworker may encounter. Nor do we suggest, of course, that it is the duty or the prerogative of this court or the district court to direct the specific contents of the Handbook. Indeed, judges must be especially careful not to hinder the constructive efforts of those faced with such an important governmental responsibility. 62 In further proceedings on the merits, perhaps the DCFS will be able to justify its current Handbook in each of these areas. We note that the incidents in the current record took place before the implementation of the Handbook and that the preliminary injunction hearing was conducted on the basis of rather abstract DCFS testimony of its policy under the Handbook rather than on the basis of the actual operation of the Handbook. 9 It may well be that additional and more concrete testimony as to the Handbook's actual operation will clarify these points. On the other hand, the DCFS' experience under the Handbook may, in light of our comments today, lead it to undertake voluntarily a revision of its operating procedures. 63