Opinion ID: 807964
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Detention During Searches

Text: The Marcilises assert that the district court improperly granted summary judgment to the police officers on the Marcilises’ claim that they were detained in violation of the Fourth Amendment during the searches. “A ‘seizure’ occurs when police detain an individual under circumstances where a reasonable person would not feel free to leave.” United States v. Lopez-Medina, 461 F.3d 724, 739 (6th Cir. 2006). We assess the reasonableness of a seizure of an individual based on the totality of the circumstances. Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1, 9-10 (1985). In Summers, the Supreme Court made clear that officers executing a search warrant for contraband have the limited authority to detain occupants of a premises while a search is being conducted. 452 U.S. at 704-05. Once suspects are removed from the scene of the search, however, the Fourth Amendment requires probable cause for their seizure. Centanni v. Eight Unknown Officers, 15 F.3d 587, 591 (6th Cir. 1994). The Marcilises argue that the seizures in this case were unreasonable. The Marcilises argue that Marie, Marcilis I, and Jasmine were unlawfully detained when they were not allowed to move or leave during the ninety-minute search of the Manistique Street home, and that Marcilis II and Felicia were unlawfully detained when they were handcuffed, taken to a police car, and then jailed—Marcilis II for three days and Felicia for eight hours. The police officers do not dispute that seizures took place but argue that each seizure was reasonable under the circumstances. The Marcilises rely chiefly on Ingram, 185 F.3d at 591, to support their argument that the seizures in this case were unconstitutional. In Ingram, we held that police officers acted unconstitutionally when, during the search for a fleeing suspect, the No. 11-1073 Marcilis, et al. v. Twp. of Redford, et al. Page 17 officers detained the resident of a home where the suspect was thought to be residing and the detention lasted for the duration of the search. Id. at 591-92. Our Court determined that the officers in Ingram had acted unreasonably by handcuffing and pointing guns at the residents in the home because the officers had not acted out of a justifiable fear for their safety and they did not conduct the search in reliance on a warrant based on probable cause. In Ingram, officers “possessed no independent information leading them to believe that [the detained resident] was a dangerous individual,” and the record showed that the officers has no reason to believe that the home being searched contained weapons. Id. at 592. In contrast, the police officers in the present case were acting pursuant to a search warrant authorizing a search for weapons and issued based on documentation of prior criminal activity associated with both homes. The police officers conducting the search were also aware that Marcilis II had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer. Marcilis I, Marie, and Jasmine were detained for the duration of the search—ninety minutes. None of the three were handcuffed during the search. Under these circumstances, ninety minutes is a reasonable period of time for occupants to be detained while police officers secure the scene and search for controlled substances. See., e.g., Muehler, 544 U.S. at 98. Given the totality of the circumstances described above, a reasonable juror could not find that the police officers unreasonably seized Marcilis I, Marie, and Jasmine during the search of Manistique Street in violation of the Fourth Amendment. See Ingram, 185 F.3d at 591-92 (noting that handcuffing and detention of occupants of a residence being searched, accompanied by officers’ display of firearms is permissible where there is a justifiable fear of personal safety); Burchett v. Kiefer, 310 F.3d 937, 942-43 (6th Cir. 2002) (noting that Summers involved a limited detention of home occupants that was not unconstitutional). Felicia and Marcilis II were detained in the Suffield Drive home for ten minutes and then held in a police car for thirty minutes. After this, they were taken to a police station and placed under arrest. Under the circumstances, the ten-minute detention during the search of the house was reasonable. See Muehler, 544 U.S. at 98. Once the No. 11-1073 Marcilis, et al. v. Twp. of Redford, et al. Page 18 police officers removed Marcilis II and Felicia from the home, probable cause was required to support their continued detentions. Centanni, 15 F.3d at 590-91. “In determining whether probable cause existed,” we “consider whether there are facts that, given the factual and practical considerations of everyday life, could lead a reasonable person to believe that an illegal act has occurred or is about to occur.” United States v. Gill, 685 F.3d 606, 609 (6th Cir. 2012) (alterations and internal quotation marks omitted). The search of the Suffield Drive home, which preceded the arrests of Felicia and Marcilis II, produced two bags of leafy material, drug paraphernalia, and large amounts of money—evidence which could lead a reasonable person to believe that illegal drug activity “ha[d] occurred or [was] about to occur.” Id. The affidavit in which Officer Jones attested to information regarding ongoing narcotics activity also supports a finding of probable cause. We conclude that the police officers had probable cause to arrest—and bring criminal charges against—both Felicia and Marcilis II, and the district court did not err in granting summary judgment to the police officers on this claim.