Opinion ID: 2163467
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Search of Coats

Text: Both Taylor and Mahone challenge the legality of the search of the coats found in the basement. Taylor and Mahone assert that the search of the coats exceeded the scope of a search incident to arrest. [5] The Superior Court upheld the search of the coats because it concluded that the coats could have contained either contraband or weapons. While the coats did contain contraband, we find that the circumstances in the present case did not necessitate a search of the coats. We reverse. The Supreme Court of the United States and this Court have held that the scope of a search incident to arrest extends not only to the arrestee's person, but also into the area within the arrestee's immediate control. Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752, 763, 89 S.Ct. 2034, 23 L.Ed.2d 685 (1969); Commonwealth v. Shiflet, 543 Pa. 164, 670 A.2d 128, 130 (1995). While the breadth of the area that falls within the arrestee's immediate control has been the subject of much debate, [6] a warrantless search must be strictly circumscribed by the exigencies which justify its initiation. Mincey v. Arizona, 437 U.S. 385, 393, 98 S.Ct. 2408, 57 L.Ed.2d 290 (1978); Commonwealth v. Wright, 560 Pa. 34, 742 A.2d 661, 665 (1999), reconsideration denied (February 25, 2000). The two historical rationales for the search incident to arrest exception to the warrant requirement are (1) the need to disarm the suspect in order to take him into custody and (2) the need to preserve evidence for later use at trial. Knowles v. Iowa, 525 U.S. 113, 116, 119 S.Ct. 484, 142 L.Ed.2d 492 (1998). In the present case, we believe that the search of the two coats extended beyond the area within Taylor's immediate control and was therefore invalid. We find the Fifth Circuit's decision in United States v. Johnson to be instructive. 16 F.3d 69 (5th Cir.1994). In Johnson, police obtained an arrest warrant for the defendant for his alleged theft and money laundering activities as an employee with the City of Austin. The police executed the warrant at the defendant's place of employment. When the police entered the defendant's office, they found the defendant alone and sitting at his desk. After informing the defendant that he was under arrest, the police officers told him to sit down at his desk. While the defendant stood several times, the police did not place him in handcuffs. Officer Ron Sterrett (Officer Sterrett) searched a briefcase lying closed and approximately eight feet from the defendant. Officer Sterrett also searched the top of the defendant's desk. Throughout the search by Officer Sterrett, one officer had remained behind the defendant, while three other officers stood in the office and watched him. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the defendant that the search of his briefcase had exceeded the scope of a search incident to arrest. Johnson, 16 F.3d at 71-72. Because the defendant sat surrounded by several officers and at least eight feet away from his briefcase while Officer Sterrett searched it, the court held that the briefcase had not been within the defendant's immediate control. Id. at 72. The court noted that Officer Sterrett had no reason to believe that Johnson possessed a weapon or was about to destroy evidence within his reach, therefore the search could not be justified as a search incident to arrest. Id. Finally, the court held that papers found on top of the defendant's desk had been within the defendant's reach. Id. The court of appeals declined to suppress the papers because the papers had been seized as evidence within the defendant's immediate control during a search incident to arrest. Id. Like the briefcase in Johnson, the two coats in the present case were not within Taylor's immediate control. While we recognize that the search in the present case occurred in the basement of a convenience store and not an office building as in Johnson, we believe that this is a distinction without a difference. Similar to Johnson, the police in the present case had secured the scene prior to searching the coats. After Officer Adams had patted-down Taylor's clothing for weapons and had arrested Taylor, he placed Taylor in handcuffs. N.T. 12/18/96 (Suppression Hearing), at 62-65 (R.R. 81a-84a). Then, Officer Adams directed Taylor to sit in the barber's chair. N.T. 12/18/96 (Suppression Hearing), at 67 (R.R. 86a). Taylor complied and sat in the chair with his wrists in handcuffs. N.T. 12/18/96 (Suppression Hearing), at 67 (R.R. 86a). Officer Adams also Terry frisked and handcuffed Mahone, who stood next to the chair. N.T. 12/18/96 (Suppression Hearing), at 67 (R.R. 86a). Then, Officer Adams stood with the two handcuffed men and directed Constable McIntyre to search the coats. N.T. 12/18/96 (Suppression Hearing), at 79-80 (R.R. 98a-99a). Like the briefcase in Johnson, the two coats were located ten feet from Taylor and Mahone, well beyond either man's reach. N.T. 12/18/96 (Suppression Hearing), at 80 (R.R. 99a). Neither Taylor nor Mahone made any movements toward the coats. There is no indication in the record that the police had any reason to believe that the men would immediately attempt to secure a weapon or destroy contraband contained in the coats. While it is not clear if Officer Adams knew who owned the coats before he directed the search, Officer McIntyre testified that he did not know to whom the coats belonged prior to searching. N.T. 12/18/96 (Suppression Hearing), at 68, 78, 80 (R.R. 87a, 97a, 99a). The mere possibility that a search, conducted simultaneously with an arrest, may uncover some hidden evidence is not sufficient to permit such a search. We find that the two coats were beyond Taylor's immediate control, and therefore could not be searched incident to his arrest. Our Court is sympathetic to the dangers and uncertainties that police officers confront while making custodial arrests. A warrantless search, however, is limited by the exigencies that necessitate its initiation and we do not believe that the officers needed to search the coats in order to ensure their safety or to prevent the destruction of evidence. Thus, we reverse the Superior Court and find that the evidence obtained from the search of the coats should have been suppressed.