Court Opinion

ID: 9631088
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 10:29:01.848497+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:07:48.710795
License: Public Domain

CARSON, J.,
specially concurring.
The majority has fashioned a clear test to be applied to determine when the “knock and announce” requirements of ORS 133.235(6) will be excused. The test is good as far as it goes. But, because the test does not have a subjective component, I believe that the test is faulty.
The test propounded by the majority has an objective test (“would lead a reasonable person to believe”). 310 Or at 637. The test makes no inquiry as to the subjective belief of the officer making the unannounced entry. It should.
In my view, the excusal of statutory compliance of “knock and announce” is based upon the tenet of the apprehension of peril. The apprehension must be reasonable (objective test). But, the apprehension must exist; that is, the officer relying on the excuse must have an actual apprehension of peril (subjective test). The test approved by the majority only looks to what a reasonable person would believe and permits the excusal of the statutory requirement of knocking and announcing before a forced entry even in cases where the officer, in fact, had no apprehension of peril.
From my review of the legislative history (including the appellate cases relied upon by the legislature) cited by the majority, I am convinced that the legislature focused initially upon the apprehension of peril held by the entering officers *643and, only then, upon whether the apprehension was reasonable. See, e.g., State v. Arce, 83 Or App 185, 197, 730 P2d 1260 (1986) (Van Hoomissen, J., dissenting).
The majority’s rationale for the obviation of the statutory requirement to knock and announce (as expressed in the text preceding the statement of the majority’s rule) suggests to me a methodology that would first examine whether the officer had an apprehension of peril (the reason for the excuse); then, and only then, would that apprehension be examined to determine whether it was reasonable. The majority’s test leaps over the first part of the methodology and addresses only the second. That approach allows a finding of excuse without any inquiry of the officer’s belief. The majority’s only question is: Should an officer reasonably have been apprehensive? That is not the correct inquiry.
In this case, there was testimony that the officers selected forced entry “[bjecause of the potential danger involved.” The entering officers were aware of the information about defendant set forth in the majority opinion. Here, there was both a subjective and an objectively reasonable apprehension of peril. Therefore, I specially concur.