Opinion ID: 2635819
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Reasonable Suspicion Justifying an Officer Safety Search

Text: The defendant next argues Officer Tucker did not have an articulable individualized suspicion as required to justify an officer safety search under K.S.A. 22-2402(2). The defendant argues Tucker's experience with hidden weapons was confined to drug and prostitution situations and consequently Tucker could not reasonably suspect the defendant of using this method of concealment unless Tucker suspected the defendant of involvement in drugs or prostitution. The State contends there was reasonable suspicion justifying the officer safety search based upon the totality of the circumstances, including the report of a burglary, the officer's directive the defendant not reach into her purse, and the defendant's decision to ignore this directive and reach into her purse.  Terry and K.S.A. 22-2402(2) permit a minimal search of a detained person for the limited purpose of ensuring the police officer's safety, provided the officer has reasonable suspicion that such a search is required for the officer's personal safety. The officer must have prior knowledge of facts, observe conduct of the detained person, or receive responses from the detained person that, in light of the officer's experience, would give rise to reasonable suspicion that such a search is necessary. State v. Davis, 28 Kan. App.2d 75, 81, 11 P.3d 1177 (2000), rev. denied 270 Kan. 900 (2001); see Terry, 392 U.S. at 20-29, 88 S.Ct. 1868. This is an objective, not subjective, standard. Terry, 392 U.S. at 21-22, 27, 88 S.Ct. 1868. This issue presents a close call. On one hand, the defendant's encounter with the police up to the time of the search provided little, if any, indication the defendant would have been armed or dangerous to the officers. The defendant did not resist or attempt to flee when the officers entered the apartment. Officer Tucker testified the defendant took no actions at the beginning of the encounter to raise concerns for the officers' safety. The landlord confirmed the defendant was the tenant's girlfriend, the boyfriend had been ordered to leave the apartment, and the boyfriend had been arrested and was in jail. This was consistent with the defendant's story she was packing and moving items for her boyfriend. Obviously, because the boyfriend had been arrested and was in jail, the boyfriend could presumably not remove the items. There is nothing in this pattern of events and information which would provide police officers with reasonable suspicion officer personal safety was at risk. On the other hand, Officer Tucker testified the defendant ignored Tucker's directive the defendant was not to smoke a cigarette or reach into her purse. Tucker further testified, in his experience, that razor blades have been kept in cigarette packages. Tucker's position is weakened by the fact the specific situations he cited for razor blade concealment (drugs and prostitution) were not similar to the fairly innocuous situation Tucker faced here. Although a close call, we conclude in light of the totality of the circumstances Officer Tucker had sufficient reasonable suspicion to believe officer safety might be at risk. The officers were at the apartment to investigate the presence of a nontenant who was moving property. The encounter in the kitchen arguably occurred at close quarters and fairly rapidly. The defendant disobeyed Tucker's order and continued a course of action Tucker interpreted as a possible threat to his safety. Consequently, Officer Tucker had sufficient reasonable suspicion to take some action, but the final question for us is whether Tucker's actions exceeded the permissible scope under the officer safety justification for the search.