Opinion ID: 2169345
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Other authorities and application of law to facts.

Text: The district court judge found that the damage caused to Kelley's property was more in the nature of a tort and did not constitute a taking of private property within the meaning of article I, section 18 of the Iowa Constitution. Upon our review, we agree with the district court's decision. A. Through enactment of section 804.15, [4] the legislature has articulated the public policy that law enforcement officers may use force to enter private premises for the purpose of executing an arrest warrant. The use of force authorized by section 804.15, however, is not without limitation. According to restrictions imposed by the legislature, such force as is reasonably necessary may only be used when a law enforcement officer has reasonable cause to believe that a person whom the officer is authorized to arrest is present on [the] private premises. See Iowa Code § 804.15. In this case, plaintiff's property was damaged by law enforcement officers, who were exercising their authority under section 804.15, in the course of performing their public duties of enforcing the criminal laws. Enforcement of the criminal laws is clearly within the county's power to provide for the health, safety and welfare of its citizens. Plaintiff's property was therefore damaged as a consequence of the county's exercise of police power and not as a consequence of the county's exercise of its power under eminent domain. Thus, the more narrow question we must decide is whether the county's exercise of police power in this case was unreasonable. The district court judge impliedly found that the officers did not use unreasonable force to enter the premises. Based upon our review of the record, we agree with the district court's finding. We first point out that Kelley does not allege that the amount of force used by the officers to enter the residence was unreasonable. Additionally, the record shows that the officers chose to execute the warrant in the late evening hours because of the subject's reputation for assaultive and combative behavior. The officers also identified themselves and demanded entry before using force to enter the home. The record thus shows that the officers properly exercised their authority granted to them by Iowa Code section 804.15 when they forcibly entered the home. We also believe that the county's right to provide for the safety and welfare of its citizens in enforcing the state's criminal laws and procedures outweighs any interference or economic impact of the officers' action on plaintiff's property as presented in this case. The damage caused to plaintiff's property in this case would seem to be more in line with those cases where property owners have been forced to bear some burden for the public good, but where no taking of private property was found. See Goodenow, 574 N.W.2d at 25 (landowner forced to mow weeds and grass growing on city-owned property at landowner's expense); Kent, 391 N.W.2d at 221 (owner forced to give up pet lion); Ortner, 279 N.W.2d at 276 (landowners forced to terrace property at landowners' expense); Iowa Dep't of Transp., 272 N.W.2d at 14 (owner of billboards forced to remove billboards at owner's expense). B. Additionally, the damage to plaintiff's property seems to be more in the nature of a tort rather than a permanent deprivation of property, or creation of a permanent property interest, as contemplated by article I, section 18. For instance, if someone other than a non-governmental employee had broken into the residence and caused the same damage to Kelley's property as was done here, Kelley would have a private cause of action in tort for trespass and damages against that person. We will address this point further in the next division. We simply point out at this juncture that the present case can be distinguished from the inverse condemnation or permanent taking situation we found in Bormann. 584 N.W.2d at 321. This is because the property rights infringement in Bormann was more in the nature of an involuntary permanent easement on the neighbors' land, which situation does not exist in the present case. Id. In Bormann, a county board of supervisors had approved the application of certain landowners to place their land in an agricultural area. Nearby landowners challenged the board's action. We concluded that Iowa Code section 352.11(1)(a), which grants immunity from nuisance suits for farm operations located in an agricultural area, gave the applicant landowners the right to maintain a nuisance on their property that would affect the property of the nearby landowners. Id. This right to maintain a nuisance, we found, resulted in the granting of an involuntary easement by the county board of supervisors for the benefit of the applicant property owners, who were protected by the nuisance immunity. Id. We further concluded that the granting of such an easement by the county amounted to a taking of the neighbors' private property for public use in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and in violation of article I, section 18 of the Iowa Constitution. Id. We noted that government action need not amount to a physical invasion of the surface of the land in order for a taking to be found. Id. at 317. C. In summary, we conclude that the damage caused to the doors on plaintiff's property by the officers was a reasonable exercise of police power and therefore does not amount to a taking of plaintiff's property within the meaning of article I, section 18 of the Iowa Constitution. Plaintiff therefore has not satisfied the second step in the takings analysis and is not entitled to compensation under that theory for damage caused to his property by the officers. See id. at 315. Other authorities support our conclusion. See Patel v. United States, 823 F.Supp. 696, 699 (N.D.Cal. 1993) (concluding that property damage caused to plaintiff's property by officers serving search and arrest warrants on occupants of property did not give rise to claim for inverse condemnation under California Constitution); Customer Co. v. City of Sacramento, 10 Cal.4th 368, 41 Cal. Rptr.2d 658, 895 P.2d 900, 913 (1995) (stating that efforts of law enforcement officers to apprehend a felony suspect cannot be likened to an exercise of the power of eminent domain and holding that property damage to plaintiff's liquor store and its contents caused by law enforcement officers while trying to apprehend a suspect did not amount to taking of private property under California Constitution); McCoy v. Sanders, 113 Ga.App. 565, 148 S.E.2d 902, 905 (1966) (concluding that landowner is not entitled to damages under Georgia Constitution for fish kill and damage to pond when police drained pond on plaintiff's property in search of murder victim); Indiana State Police v. May, 469 N.E.2d 1183, 1184 (Ind.Ct.App.1984) (concluding that damage caused to homeowner's property by police officers trying to apprehend murder suspect who took refuge in plaintiff's home was in the nature of a tort, for which state was immune under state tort claims act; damage did not amount to a taking of private property under eminent domain power and thus homeowner was not entitled to compensation); Blackman v. City of Cincinnati, 140 Ohio St. 25, 42 N.E.2d 158, 160 (1942) (holding that state statute which makes it a crime to refuse to assist law enforcement officer in apprehending a suspect did not delegate eminent domain power to police officer so as to subject city for liability for damage to plaintiff's vehicle sustained when police officer ordered plaintiff to pursue another vehicle containing a fleeing suspect; owner of vehicle not entitled to compensation under Ohio Constitution); Sullivant v. City of Oklahoma, 940 P.2d 220, 226 (Okla.1997) (concluding that damage to plaintiff-landlord's property caused by police officers while executing search warrant of apartment in apartment complex owned by plaintiff did not amount to a taking of private property under the Oklahoma Constitution). [5] We therefore affirm the decision of the district court on this issue.