Opinion ID: 1035248
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Surveillance and Arrest

Text: After receiving a tip that several black males wearing burkas—head-to-toe garments traditionally worn by Muslim women—had been loitering outside a check cashing store during opening hours, Philadelphia Police established surveillance outside of the store. On the morning of Friday, June 12, 2009, officers noticed two black men 2 acting suspicious. The officers eventually approached the men, one of whom was Michael Matthews. At the time, Matthews was carrying a green and white striped “suitcase backpack” on one of his shoulders. App. 180; see App. 1114A, 1114B (photos of backpack). Officer Michael Frisco and his partner Officer Joanne Pomeroy, an eight-year veteran of the force, asked Matthews to place his backpack on the ground and put his hands in the air, which he did. Frisco then proceeded to pat-down Matthews and confirmed that he had no weapons on his person. Matthews provided Frisco with identification upon request, and a subsequent warrant check uncovered that Matthews had two active bench warrants—one for theft of services and one for four scofflaw tickets. As a result of the active warrants, Matthews was placed under arrest. Officer Frisco handcuffed Matthews and walked him across the street to a police car while Officer Pomeroy recovered Matthews’ backpack from the ground. 1 After Matthews had been secured in the backseat of the car—handcuffed with the door closed and locked from the outside—Pomeroy opened and searched Matthews’ backpack while standing next to the car. Inside she found a roll of duct tape, a pair of gloves, and a .22 caliber handgun. 2 The officers then placed the backpack into the trunk of the police car and transported it, along with Matthews, to the police station for processing. 1 While Matthews was being arrested, another officer approached the car from which Matthews had exited, and looked inside. In the back seat, on the floor boards, he observed “muslim garb.” App. 106, 147. 2 Officer Frisco listed these items on a property receipt, which he prepared at the police station some time later. See App. 186-87; Tr. of Jan. 8, 2013 Oral Arg. at 33-34. 3