Opinion ID: 182211
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Claims Based on Ray's Arrest and Post-Arrest Detention

Text: Ray's complaint appears to allege that the police violated her Fourth Amendment rights when they arrested and detained her. On appeal, Ray has clarified the bases of her claim, arguing (1) that her arrest constituted an illegal seizure because the police officers lacked probable cause to believe that she was guilty of possessing a controlled substance and (2) that the officers detained her for an unreasonably long period of time after arresting her. The district court did not err in dismissing Ray's arrest-related claim. Where a police officer has probable cause to believe that an individual has committed even a very minor criminal offense in his presence, he may, without violating the Fourth Amendment, arrest the offender. Atwater v. City of Lago Vista, 532 U.S. 318, 354, 121 S.Ct. 1536, 149 L.Ed.2d 549 (2001). This is true even if the minor criminal offense is a traffic offense. United States v. Childs, 277 F.3d 947, 953 (7th Cir.2002) ( en banc ). So long as a police officer has probable cause to believe that a person has committed a crime, then it is not constitutionally relevant whether the person was arrested on . . . charges for which there was no probable cause. Holmes v. Village of Hoffman Estates, 511 F.3d 673, 682 (7th Cir.2007). Ray has conceded that she committed a traffic violation in the presence of Malinowski and his partner. Under Atwater and Childs, this provided the police with all of the probable cause they needed to arrest Ray without violating the Fourth Amendment. See Atwater, 532 U.S. at 324-25, 121 S.Ct. 1536. The district court's dismissal of Ray's post-arrest detention claim was also proper. Ray is correct in asserting that the law does not grant police officers carte blanche after issuing a traffic citation to detain a motorist to investigate other possible criminal activity. United States v. Figueroa-Espana, 511 F.3d 696, 702-03 (7th Cir.2007); United States v. Finke, 85 F.3d 1275 (7th Cir.1996). Indeed, we have held that in such situations the police are required to release individuals as soon as the officers have assured themselves that no skullduggery is afoot. Childs, 277 F.3d at 952. The rules are considerably different, however, when police officers actually arrest an individualsuch individuals need not be released as quickly as possible. Id. at 952. A person arrested without a warrant may be held prior to a judicial determination of probable cause for a brief period to carry out the administrative steps incident to arrest. Chortek v. City of Milwaukee, 356 F.3d 740, 746 (7th Cir.2004) (citing Gerstein v. Pugh, 420 U.S. 103, 113-14, 95 S.Ct. 854, 43 L.Ed.2d 54 (1975)). When considering this issue in a case presenting analogous facts, we held that detention times ranging from three to fourteen and one-half hours were not constitutionally unreasonable absent any evidence that the delay in releasing the arrested individuals was motivated by an improper purpose. Chortek, 356 F.3d at 747-48. Because Ray has not alleged that the length of her detention exceeded this time frame or that it was the result of illicit motives, she has failed to state a claim for which we can grant relief.