Opinion ID: 675820
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Use of the National Guard During the Search

Text: 24 Clark next argues that the use of National Guard troops in executing the search warrant was unlawful under Alaska law, and accordingly, requires suppression of the evidence obtained during the search. 25 In United States v. Roberts, 779 F.2d 565, 567 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 839, 107 S.Ct. 142, 93 L.Ed.2d 84 (1986), the defendant sought to suppress evidence obtained during a search in which the U.S. Navy was involved. Though we implicitly recognized that the Navy's involvement was unlawful, we refused to suppress the evidence obtained during the search because there was no evidence of widespread or repeated violations. Id. at 568. We said that we would not apply the exclusionary rule in such circumstances unless we see a need to deter future violations of the law. 26 Clark agrees that the National Guard troops in this case were not federalized and, consequently, that the issue is whether state law authorized their use. The question is a prickly one and we need not decide it. Assuming, without deciding, that the use of the Guard members was unlawful, we decline to suppress the evidence obtained in the search of Clark's home. The guard members were relegated to a minor supporting role and there is little evidence in this record that the allegedly unlawful use of National Guard troops in civilian law enforcement is widespread in Alaska. The district court did not err in denying Clark's motion to suppress on the basis of the unlawful use of the National Guard.