Opinion ID: 538915
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Officers' Reliance on the Magistrate's Issuance of the Warrant Was Objectively Reasonable

Text: 28 Although Sergeant Kohler's affidavit was not a model of specificity, we do not believe it was so lacking in probable cause as to render official belief in its existence entirely unreasonable. Here, the affidavit supporting the warrant was neither a bare bones affidavit, nor was it devoid of facts. Leon, 468 U.S. at 926, 104 S.Ct. at 3422; United States v. Cook, 854 F.2d at 373; United States v. Wright, 791 F.2d 133, 135 (10th Cir.1986); United States v. Cardall, 773 F.2d 1128, 1133 (10th Cir.1985). The search warrant issued in this case was supported by an affidavit which was hurriedly prepared by law enforcement officials in the midst of a rapidly unfolding investigation. United States v. Ventresca, 380 U.S. at 108, 85 S.Ct. at 745. The affidavit consisted of the following eight documents, all of which were stapled together: 29 Document # 1: A nine-page Pittsburg, California Felony Report authored by Sergeant Kohler. This report outlined the events in Wyoming as relayed to Kohler from one of the Wyoming investigators, Tony Hinton. This report contained the following opinion by Kohler: Due to the fact that $298,919.00 in U.S. currency was located in the trunk of the vehicle along with four grams of cocaine it is my opinion the currency was the proceeds from the sale of cocaine and remainder of the cocaine was possessed for sale. [Record, Report at 5]. This report also detailed how the officers secured 110 Northstar Drive while the warrant and affidavit were being prepared. [Id. at 6-7]. During this waiting period, two persons, Hilario Corral and Cesar Garcia, arrived outside the residence at 110 Northstar Drive. [Id. at 8]. Garcia had a brown suitcase with him. 5 Hilario Corral, after being Mirandized, agreed to give a written statement. This report references a supplementary report containing Hilario Corral's written statement. [Id.]. 30 Document # 2: A one-page Admonishment of Rights form for Hilario Corral. This form sets forth all of the rights discussed in the Supreme Court's Miranda decision and bears the initialed waiver and signature of Hilario Corral. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 467-76, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 1624-28, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). 31 Document # 3: A four-page Pittsburg, California Supplementary Report authored by Detective Elzie. This report reflects that Hilario Corral told Elzie that Hilario was the cousin of defendant Rene Corral. It further indicates that Hilario Corral claimed that he had nothing to hide, was not involved in any illegal activities, and would consent to the search of his own residence at 2160 Peachtree Circle. The report reflects that upon arrival at 2160 Peachtree Circle, Hilario Corral stated that defendant Rene Corral had left a bag at Hilario's residence for safekeeping. Hilario Corral denied knowledge of the bag's contents. The bag which Hilario later showed to the officers was a red, white & blue canvas athletic bag. It was completely closed. The officers did not open the bag, but took it to 110 Northstar Drive and began to prepare a warrant request to search the bag along with the residence. 6 32 Document # 4: A two-page handwritten Pittsburgh Police Department statement signed by Hilario Corral. The statement reads as follows: 33 The above is my true and correct name. This is my statement as told to Det. Elzie. 34 Today about 12:30 p.m. I got a phone call from Cesar Garcia to give him a ride from the San Francisco Airport at 5:30 p.m. I told him yes since I had to go to San Francisco anyway to pick up a computer from my cousin's house. Cesar is my friend and I have known him for approx. 2 yrs. I arrived late at the Airport due to car trouble but still met Cesar. We then got a burrito to eat and went to my cousin's house to get the computer at approx. 7:00 p.m. After a short stay we then drove on back to Pittsburg to Cesar's house. The police were at the house when we arrived. I'm a computer operator for Bechtel Corp. in San Francisco. I have no knowledge of narcotics at this house except maybe only party favors but not large amounts for sell that the police are thinking of. I knew nothing about Cesar's trip only that he needed a ride home from the Airport. I have nothing to hide from the police and they could search my residence for narcotics or contraband if so desired. 35 This statement was written by Det. George Elzie as told by me. [emphasis supplied]. 7 36 Document # 5: A one-page supplemental statement by Hilario Corral, which reads: 37 On Thursday 4-14-88 or Friday 4-15-88 my cousin Rene Corral brought a red and blue canvas carry bag to my house to keep for him while he went out of town. Myself nor my wife does not know what's in the bag and have no connections to my cousin. He (my cousin) has never left anything here for us to keep other than a few suits and ties. 38 Me and my wife both knew the bag was here but not the contents of the bag. 39 Document # 6: A Consent to Search form signed by Hilario Corral for his residence at 2160 Peachtree Circle. 40 Document # 7: A three-page document setting forth Sergeant Kohler's training and experience as a thirteen-year veteran of the police force and a four and one-half year veteran of its Narcotics Division, 8 as well as the following pertinent opinion: 41 Based on the above information, I formed the expert opinion that Cocaine is possessed for sale at 110 North Star Drive Pittsburg, California. Persons who sell Cocaine often keep additional amounts in their home and vehicles, as well as on their persons, for future use and/or sale. Persons who sell Cocaine do not carry their entire supply of Cocaine on their persons because of the ever present danger of being robbed by the persons they sell Cocaine to and because it is common knowledge among narcotic/dangerous drug dealers that the penalty for being arrested for Possession for Sales of larger quantities is usually more severe than Possession only; thus motivating them to carry smaller quantities on their person. 42 Document # 8: An Affidavit for Search Warrant form, incorporating the foregoing police reports and records, and containing a description of the residence at 110 Northstar Drive and a description of the items to be searched and seized. The affidavit bears the signature of Sergeant Evan Kohler. 43 In short, based upon the large amount of cash 9 and small amount of cocaine present in Corral's vehicle in Wyoming, the suspicious conduct and statements of Hilario Corral, as well as his knowledge of the nature of drug trafficking, Sergeant Kohler formed the opinion, expressed in his affidavit, that cocaine was possessed for sale at 110 Northstar Drive. [Record, Affidavit at 19]. 10 Courts frequently have relied on the expert opinion of officers in determining where contraband might be kept. United States v. Medlin, 798 F.2d at 409; see United States v. Fama, 758 F.2d 834, 838 (2d Cir.1985) (agent's expert opinion is factor contributing to objective good faith). 44 Probable cause undoubtedly requires a nexus between suspected criminal activity and the place to be searched. United States v. McCoy, 781 F.2d at 172; see generally, 1 W. LaFave & J. Israel, Criminal Procedure at Sec. 3.3, pp. 214-15 (1984). Here, the state judge spent ninety minutes with Sergeant Kohler before making an informed and deliberate determination of probable cause. Changes were made to the affidavit and additional information provided as a result of the state judge's questioning of Kohler. [See Record, Tr. of Sept. 6, 1988, Suppression Hearing at 271-72, 290]. Upon all the circumstances set forth in the affidavit, the judge concluded that there was a fair probability that evidence of a crime would be found at 110 Northstar Drive. Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. at 238, 103 S.Ct. at 2332 (emphasis added); accord United States v. Cardall, 773 F.2d at 1131. We believe both Kohler and the officers who executed the warrant should be entitled to place substantial weight on this finding in defending an attack on their good faith. 45 This is not the first time that this court has applied the good faith exception to a warrant which arguably failed to set forth probable cause. In United States v. Cook, 854 F.2d at 372, we assumed, but did not hold, that the affidavit in support of a search warrant failed to establish probable cause. Nevertheless, we upheld the search and reversed the district court on the ground that the detective's reliance on the judge's probable cause determination and on the technical sufficiency of the warrant was objectively reasonable. Id. at 374. In Cook, a first-time confidential informant told a detective that he had recently been to an identified apartment at which he has observed Cook in possession of large sums of currency and several paper decks of cocaine. The informant told the detective that he had seen Cook there with cocaine several times. A day before the warrant was obtained a police officer had observed substantial foot traffic near that apartment, which, based on the affiant's experience and training, was consistent with drug trafficking. The affiant also learned through investigation that Cook occupied the apartment. Moreover, at the time, Cook was on probation for possession of a controlled substance. Another detective learned that Cook had at least twice been arrested for possession of a controlled substance. These facts were all included in an affidavit for search warrant, which was presented to, and approved by, a state court judge. Id. 46 We acknowledge that Cook involved a stronger warrant affidavit than the affidavit in the instant case. Here, there was no confidential informant with information concerning either Corral or 110 Northstar Drive. Similarly, there was no surveillance of 110 Northstar Drive prior to Corral's traffic stop in Wyoming. These factors, of course, are not prerequisites for a finding of probable cause. See Section V above. Moreover, as previously discussed, it is clear that the application for a warrant to search 110 Northstar Drive was supported by much more than a bare bones affidavit. United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. at 926, 104 S.Ct. at 3422. 11 While the strength of the affidavit in this case lies somewhere short of the showing which supported our good faith finding in Cook, in our view the instant affidavit, taking into account all of the circumstances, is not so lacking in indicia of probable cause as to render official belief in its existence entirely unreasonable. Leon, 468 U.S. at 923, 104 S.Ct. at 3421 (emphasis supplied) (quoting Brown v. Illinois, 422 U.S. 590, 610-11, 95 S.Ct. 2254, 2265, 45 L.Ed.2d 416 (1975) (Powell, J., concurring in part)). 12 47 Also cutting in the government's favor on the good-faith issue in this case is the fact that in Cook, [t]he Government's elicitation of facts at the suppression hearing was anemic at best. Cook, 854 F.2d at 373. In sharp contrast, the evidentiary record developed in this case was substantial. At the suppression hearing, Kohler was questioned extensively regarding his expertise, the information he received from Wyoming, the reasonableness of the assumptions he made and his conversations with the state municipal judge. [See Record, Tr. of Sept. 6-7, 1988, Suppression Hearing at 250-301 & 312-49]. This record, combined with the facts stated in the affidavit, demonstrates that a reasonably well-trained law enforcement officer would not have known that the search was illegal [assuming it was] despite the magistrate's authorization, as contemplated in Leon, 468 U.S. 897 [104 S.Ct. 3405, 82 L.Ed.2d 677].... Cook, 854 F.2d at 373 (bracketed material in original); accord United States v. Wright, 791 F.2d at 135. 48 This is not to say that a judicial official's concurrence in improper activity brings the law enforcement officer's conduct within Leon and Sheppard. United States v. Baker, 894 F.2d 1144, 1149 (10th Cir.1990) (per curiam). Indeed, a controversy has apparently developed among various courts as to what favorable weight may be given to an officer's reliance on a judicial official's opinion regarding the propriety of a contemplated search. Compare United States v. Martin, 833 F.2d 752, 755 (8th Cir.1987) (citing Malley v. Briggs, 475 U.S. 335, 106 S.Ct. 1092, 89 L.Ed.2d 271 (1986) for the proposition that an officer may not rely entirely on the magistrate's finding of probable cause) with Martin at 756-57 (Lay, C.J., concurring) (disagreeing with great weight attached by majority to magistrate's finding that probable cause had been established, and concluding that magistrate's issuance of warrant is irrelevant to the question of the officer's good faith) and Martin v. D.C. Metro. Police Dep't, 812 F.2d 1425, 1434 n. 20 (D.C.Cir.) (magistrate's determination should carry some weight in inquiry regarding officer's good faith), vacated in part, reh'g granted en banc, 817 F.2d 144, reinstated, sub nom., reh'g dismissed on reconsideration en banc, 824 F.2d 1240 (1987). 49 We cannot speak for other circuits or other cases. Under the circumstances in this case, however, we believe the state judge's probable cause finding is not only a relevant factor, but a significant one as well, in the good-faith equation. As our circuit stated in United States v. Cardall, 773 F.2d at 1133 (citations and emphasis omitted): 50 The first notion to be remembered in considering the good faith principle is the presumption created in Leon that when an officer relies upon a warrant, the officer is acting in good faith. While this presumption is not an absolute, it must carry some weight. Second, it must also be remembered that the knowledge and understanding of law enforcement officers and their appreciation for constitutional intricacies are not to be judged by the standards applicable to lawyers. 51 When we consider whether the officer relied in good faith upon a warrant, we must look to the underlying documents to see whether they are devoid of factual support, not merely whether the facts they contain are legally sufficient. When a warrant has issued, the legal sufficiency of the underlying affidavit has already been determined by the magistrate, and the magistrate's determination is entitled to credence. Courts cannot make the good faith of an officer turn upon whether his reliance on a warrant was misplaced. It is only when the reliance was wholly unwarranted that good faith is absent. 52 Here, Sergeant Kohler attempted to act in conformity with the fourth amendment by presenting this close call to a neutral and detached judge for review. Leon, 468 U.S. at 913-14, 104 S.Ct. at 3415-16; Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108, 111, 84 S.Ct. 1509, 1512, 12 L.Ed.2d 723 (1964), overruled on other grounds, Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. at 238, 103 S.Ct. at 2332. 13 The record reveals that Kohler was questioned by an experienced state judge, and that certain changes were made to the affidavit as a result of that questioning. [Record, Tr. of Sept. 6, 1988, Suppression Hearing at 256, 271-72, 290]; cf. United States v. Rome, 809 F.2d 665, 668 (10th Cir.1987). In total, the affiant spent over one hour with the state judge reviewing the sufficiency of the warrant. After all of this, the state judge found that the facts established probable cause to issue the search warrant for Corral's residence. 53 Just as reviewing courts give great deference to the decisions of judicial officers who make probable-cause determinations, police officers should be entitled to rely upon the probable-cause determination of a neutral magistrate when defending an attack on their good faith for either seeking or executing a warrant. This is particularly true, where, as here, with the benefit of hindsight and thoughtful reflection, reviewing judges still cannot agree on the sufficiency of the affidavit. Martin, 833 F.2d at 756 (When judges can look at the same affidavit and come to differing conclusions, a police officer's reliance must, therefore, be reasonable.). In such cases, the good faith principles of Leon are triggered and come directly into bearing. Cook, 854 F.2d at 372; United States v. Medlin, 798 F.2d at 409. As the Leon Court stated: 54 In the ordinary case, an officer cannot be expected to question the magistrate's probable-cause determination.... [O]nce the warrant issues, there is literally nothing more the policeman can do in seeking to comply with the law. ... Penalizing the officer for the magistrate's error, rather than his own, cannot logically contribute to the deterrence of Fourth Amendment violations. 55 Leon, 468 U.S. at 921, 104 S.Ct. at 3419 (citations omitted). Here, the record establishes that both Kohler and the officers who executed the search of Corral's residence were entitled to rely on the California state judge's determination of probable cause, and this reliance was objectively reasonable. United States v. Wright, 791 F.2d at 135.