Opinion ID: 681074
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: automobile stop--pretext

Text: 29 Dirden claims that Deputy Barney's stop of the Oldsmobile for alleged traffic irregularities was a mere pretext. According to Dirden, the deputy profiled the occupants based on their race and stopped them in order to search for drugs. Therefore, he argues, the stop and ensuing search violated his rights under the Fourth Amendment and all evidence obtained pursuant to the illegal stop should have been suppressed. 10 In reviewing Dirden's Fourth Amendment claim, we review all evidence in a light most favorable to the district court's findings, United States v. Walker, 933 F.2d 812, 815 (10th Cir.1991), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 1168, 117 L.Ed.2d 414 (1992), and uphold the factual findings of the district court unless they are clearly erroneous. United States v. Fernandez, 18 F.3d 874, 876 (10th Cir.1994). At a suppression hearing, the credibility of the witnesses and the weight to be given the evidence, together with the inferences to be drawn from that evidence, all are matters to be determined by the court. Walker, 933 F.2d at 815. The ultimate determination of reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment is a question of law which we review de novo. Fernandez, 18 F.3d at 876. 30 A pretextual stop occurs when an officer uses some legal justification to stop a person or vehicle in order to investigate unrelated criminal matters for which the officer lacks reasonable suspicion. Id. We apply an objective standard in evaluating the police officer's conduct and do not ask whether the officer could validly have made the stop, but whether a reasonable officer, similarly situated, would have made the stop in the absence of an invalid purpose. United States v. Guzman, 864 F.2d 1512, 1515 (10th Cir.1988). 31 At the suppression hearing, the magistrate judge heard testimony from Deputy Barney, Mr. Dirden, and Darrell Lewis. The magistrate judge was able to assess the credibility of each witness and he determined that the testimony of the deputy was more credible. The magistrate judge found, and the district court accepted, the following: the Oldsmobile being driven by Dirden changed lanes without signaling, followed another vehicle too closely, was weaving from side to side, and had an expired temporary permit and license plate; the operation of the vehicle suggested that the driver was intoxicated or falling asleep; and, while Deputy Barney was able to see two occupants in the vehicle, it was not until he made the stop and approached the automobile that he noticed their race. 11 These factual findings are not clearly erroneous. The question, therefore, is whether the findings establish pretext. 32 In United States v. Harris, 995 F.2d 1004 (10th Cir.1993), we held the stop of the defendant's vehicle objectively reasonable where two police officers had observed the defendant's failure to signal and the erratic and attention-alerting manner in which his vehicle was being driven. Id. at 1005-06. We further noted that whether or not a reasonable officer would issue a citation under such circumstances is irrelevant. The relevant inquiry is whether a reasonable officer would make the stop. Id. at 1005; see also United States v. Deases, 918 F.2d 118, 121 (10th Cir.1990) ( '[R]easonable practice' and not 'subjective purpose' governs.), cert. denied, 501 U.S. 1233, 111 S.Ct. 2859, 115 L.Ed.2d 1026 (1991). 33 In this case, Deputy Barney observed two moving violations--improper lane change and following too closely--and he noted that the vehicle's temporary permit had expired. Furthermore, based upon the way the vehicle was weaving from side to side, the deputy suspected that the driver of the vehicle may have been intoxicated. 12 His testimony was that, in such a case, it is his usual practice to stop the vehicle in order to ensure that the driver is alert. There can be no question that a reasonable officer patrolling the interstate highway, whose duty it is to safeguard the traveling public, would stop a vehicle being driven in such a manner. See Harris, 995 F.2d at 1006; cf. United States v. Betancur, 24 F.3d 73, 77 (10th Cir.1994) (objectively reasonable for officer to stop a motorist traveling nine miles over speed limit). Nothing in the record supports a contrary finding. See United States v. Horn, 970 F.2d 728, 731 (10th Cir.1992) (Absent introduction of any rationale for the stop outside the parameters of the traffic violations, the stop cannot, by definition, be called 'pretextual.' ). 34 We conclude that a reasonable officer patrolling the interstate highway would have stopped the vehicle being driven by Dirden. The district court did not err in denying Dirden's motion to suppress.