Court Opinion

ID: 9796261
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 03:53:05.288667+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:49:24.743793
License: Public Domain

WOLLHEIM, J.,
concurring.
I write separately to emphasize the limited nature of the majority’s holding. I agree with the majority that the officers were justified in seizing the contents of White’s hand, based on officer safety. I also agree with the majority’s holding that the warrantless search of the ChapStick container was unlawful because the stop was ongoing. However, we do not decide what an officer should do once the stop ended. In such a situation, an officer may be facing a Catch-22 situation. Assuming that the individual is not arrested and the stop is over, an officer who validly seizes an item based on officer safety is faced with limited choices: if the officer returns the item without first inspecting its contents, then the item could be used as a weapon against the officer. Yet, on the other hand, if the officer keeps the item, it could constitute a warrantless seizure. We do not decide the more difficult question of what an officer should do once a stop ends, because that question is not before us.