Court Opinion

ID: 9793205
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:44:25.884333+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:03:56.534681
License: Public Domain

BOOCHEVER, Justice,
concurring.
With reference to the videotaping and recording of the sobriety tests at the police headquarters, I am of the opinion that one in defendant’s position would have had no actual or subjective expectation of privacy. From all indications, the testing was performed in a public area and not in a private room which might give rise to such an expectation. Moreover, the vary nature of the testing was for the obvious purpose of making the results public. Therefore, I would rest the holding that there was no violation of Palmer’s right to privacy on the lack of subjective expectation of privacy.
I am not at all sure that if the circumstances were such as to give rise to an actual and subjective expectation of privacy, that society would not be prepared to recognize such an expectation as reasonable. A sense of fairness based on a requirement of being open and above board would seem to require notification that one’s actions are being videotaped and recorded, if the testing were performed under circumstances giving rise to a subjective expectation of privacy. See State v. Glass, 583 P.2d 872 (Alaska 1978).
I further would not speculate as to whether a Miranda warning would be required if the statements of the accused made during the testing are regarded as testimonial in character. The trooper indicated that the breathalyzer test results indicated that Palmer had a blood alcohol level of .16 percent, to which Palmer replied “Oh no.” That exclamation could hardly be regarded as incriminating, and I find it unnecessary to make any general holding as to whether the remarks were the result of custodial interrogation so as to require a Miranda warning. There are too many factual variations which may arise to justify such a sweeping holding. For example, a police officer could give a false statement of a high breathalyzer reading hoping to elicit an admission of where a defendant had been drinking or some statement as to the amount consumed. Even under the circumstances here involved, had Palmer answered “I only had six drinks,” a close question would be presented. There can be no dispute of the fact that Palmer was in custody.1 The United States Supreme Court has held that direct questioning is not required to trigger the requirement of Miranda warnings. Brewer v. Williams, 430 U.S. 387, 97 S.Ct. 1232, 51 L.Ed.2d 424 (1977).

. See Hunter v. State, 590 P.2d 888 (Alaska 1979).