Opinion ID: 1584057
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: The Second Time Frame: Stepping Outside with Officer Mace

Text: We next examine the level of police encounter associated with the request that Officer Mace and Hayward step outside of the rooming house while Detective Flaherty spoke with Smith. Detective Flaherty testified that Smith appeared very nervous and he thought she might want to say something to the officers but was afraid to do so in Hayward's presence. Considering the assertion that Hayward sustained the wound on his hand during a domestic dispute with Smith, the officers reasonably separated Smith and Hayward. Thus, when Hayward and Officer Mace stepped outside while Detective Flaherty and Smith spoke, this action was not a detention. Further, since a crime had allegedly been committed against Hayward by Smith (i.e., that Smith had stabbed him), Officer Mace's subsequent request that Hayward come to the station to discuss the cut was not a detention.