Opinion ID: 427222
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: exigent circumstances and warrantless entry

Text: 20 It is a 'basic principle of Fourth Amendment law' that searches and seizures inside a home without a warrant are presumptively unreasonable. Payton v. New York, 445 U.S. 573, 586, 100 S.Ct. 1371, 1380, 63 L.Ed.2d 639 (1980). The Supreme Court, however, has recognized that circumstances sometimes preclude the obtaining of a warrant and therefore has allowed warrantless searches and seizures of a residence where both probable cause and exigent circumstances exist. See, Warden v. Hayden, 387 U.S. 294, 298, 87 S.Ct. 1642, 1645, 18 L.Ed.2d 782 (1967); Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 357, 88 S.Ct. 507, 514, 19 L.Ed.2d 576 (1967). See also, Vale v. Louisiana, 399 U.S. 30, 35, 90 S.Ct. 1969, 1972, 26 L.Ed.2d 409 (1970). 21 Probable cause to search exists where the facts lead a reasonably cautious person to believe that the search will uncover evidence of a crime. United States v. Rojas, 671 F.2d 159, 165 (5th Cir.1982) (Unit B). Here, there is no doubt that the agents had sufficient information to believe that Mr. Kasha and Mr. Burgos were dealing in firearms without the proper licenses. Agent Kimbler had information that Mr. Kasha had been illegally purchasing firearms for seven months. The agents saw him pick up the guns, transfer them to Mr. Burgos' car and then observed Mr. Burgos carry them into his home. These collective facts would lead a reasonably cautious person to believe that the search would uncover evidence of a crime. There was probable cause to enter Mr. Burgos' home. 22 A warrantless entry, however, must be justified not only by probable cause but also by exigent circumstances. United States v. Blasco, 702 F.2d 1315, 1325 (11th Cir.1983). The exigent circumstances doctrine recognizes several common situations where the time consuming resort to a neutral magistrate for an arrest or search warrant is unnecessary, for example: hot pursuit, United States v. Santana, 427 U.S. 38, 42-43, 96 S.Ct. 2406, 2409-2410, 49 L.Ed.2d 300 (1976); fleeing suspect, United States v. Mesa, 660 F.2d 1070 (5th Cir.1981) (Unit B); danger to arresting officers or the public from the suspect, Warden v. Hayden, 387 U.S. 294, 87 S.Ct. 1642, 18 L.Ed.2d 782 (1967); mobility of the vehicle, Chambers v. Maroney, 399 U.S. 42, 90 S.Ct. 1975, 26 L.Ed.2d 419 (1970); risk of removal or destruction of narcotics, United States v. Rubin, 474 F.2d 262 (3d Cir.1973), cert. denied, 414 U.S. 833, 94 S.Ct. 173, 38 L.Ed.2d 68 (1973). 23 The term exigent circumstances refers to a situation where the inevitable delay incident to obtaining a warrant must give way to an urgent need for immediate action. Such is the case when resort to a warrant might endanger the police or the public. See, e.g., Cady v. Dombrowski, 413 U.S. 433, 447, 93 S.Ct. 2523, 2531, 37 L.Ed.2d 706 (1973). Under the circumstances of this case, the exigencies of the situation made the warrantless entry imperative. The agents had been informed that Mr. Kasha had purchased one hundred and ninety-two guns without the proper license in a seven month period. They had observed Mr. Kasha transfer two large boxes filled with arms to Mr. Burgos. They had observed Mr. Burgos enter his home and get help from an unknown man in unloading the boxes. The agents were faced with a house laden with arms and an unknown number of people inside. The officers could reasonably believe that the household was an arsenal. The threat of injury to the neighborhood and arresting officers justified the avoidance of delay involved in obtaining a warrant. Quick action increased the likelihood that no one would be injured. The Fourth Amendment does not require police officers to delay in the course of an investigation if to do so would gravely endanger their lives or the lives of others. Warden v. Hayden, 387 U.S. 294, 298-299, 87 S.Ct. 1642, 1645-46, 18 L.Ed.2d 782 (1967). Only by entering the house and searching for persons and weapons could the agents have control of all weapons which could be used against them or to effect an escape. The societal costs of delay outweighed the social interest in resort to a neutral magistrate in this instance. The exigencies of this situation made the warrantless entry lawful. 7 24 There is also a second reason why this warrantless entry was constitutional. Law enforcement officers who have lawfully apprehended a suspect on a portion of a structure (here it was an open porch built as a part of the home) which they have reason to believe contains dangerous third persons who might pose a threat to their safety have a right to conduct a reasonable security check of such premises. See, e.g., United States v. Blasco, 702 F.2d 1315, 1326 (11th Cir.1983); United States v. Gomez, 633 F.2d 999, 1008 (2d Cir.1980), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 994, 101 S.Ct. 1695, 68 L.Ed.2d 194 (1981). The security check conducted in this instance was reasonable under all of the existing circumstances. The agents in this case had observed another male helping Mr. Burgos unload the car. The possibility of an arsenal being stored in the house was very great. These officers had ample justification for concern about their safety. The agents in this case did not go very far. They pushed open the front door and found boxes of firearms everywhere. They heard a noise in the house, went in as far as the kitchen, only to discover appellant's grandmother. Since Agent Kimbler had a right to be where he was at the time he saw the firearms, this court finds that the protective check was both constitutionally permissible and reasonable in scope. 25 In summary we hold that under the principles enunciated by the en banc court in Berry, the initial stop of Mr. Burgos was a seizure requiring reasonable suspicion and reasonable suspicion existed to support the seizure. Since Mr. Burgos' apparent consent for the officers to enter his home was elicited in violation of his Miranda rights there was no valid consent. Probable cause and exigent circumstances nonetheless justify the agents' subsequent search. Accordingly we find that the district court properly denied the motion to suppress. 26 Having sustained the legality of the search of Mr. Burgos' home, we uphold appellant's convictions since a review of the record demonstrates that the trial judge could properly have concluded that there was sufficient evidence to convict appellant of conspiracy and properly denied the motion for judgment of acquittal. 8 27 AFFIRMED.