Court Opinion

ID: 9494203
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 15:31:58.971004+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:56:16.727625
License: Public Domain

BYE, Circuit Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part,
and with whom McMILLIAN, Circuit Judge, joins in Part II.
I reluctantly concur in Part II of the majority’s opinion because I agree that County of Sacramento v. Lewis, 523 U.S. 833, 118 S.Ct. 1708, 140 L.Ed.2d 1043 (1998), requires a § 1983 plaintiff to satisfy the “intent to harm” standard in any high speed pursuit case; I write separately to explain why I believe the “deliberate indifference” standard would be more appropriate in many high speed pursuit cases. I respectfully dissent from Part III of the majority’s opinion, however. I believe that Timothy Helseth survives summary judgment even when applying the higher “intent to harm” standard required by Lewis.
I
Lewis rests upon the premise that trained officers are unable to deliberate during the course of a high speed pursuit, no matter its duration. I question that premise. Behavioral and tactical training enables officers (particularly those who have been involved in many high speed chases, such as John Burch) to process the events in a rapidly-evolving situation as if they occurred at a more deliberate pace. In this respect, officers are analogous to professional athletes who study film and plot gameplans to “slow” the speed of a game, enabling them to understand and react instantaneously to complex, changing circumstances. Because police officers are regularly trained to adjust to fast-paced situations, we must expect that their conduct will usually be deliberate — despite the pace at which events occur to the untrained eye. Lewis suggests that we can’t expect officers to think while they act, a proposition that might offend every well-trained officer in this country.
*876The facts of this case, as well as those in Feist v. Simonson, 222 F.3d 455 (8th Cir.2000), prove my point. In this case, the City of Blame’s police department regulations on high speed pursuits required officers to make conscious deliberations during the course of a chase:
Officers involved in a pursuit must continually question whether the seriousness of the violation reasonably warrants continuation of the pursuit. A pursuit shall be discontinued when there is a clear danger to the pursuing officers or the public.... The pursuing officers must consider present danger, seriousness of crime, length of pursuit, whether or not the application of deadly force by the pursuing Officer is justified, and the possibility of identifying the suspect at a later time when determining whether or not to continue the pursuit.
App. at 333 (emphasis added).
Indeed, Officer Burch admitted that he had time to deliberate during the pursuit:
Q. But the policy and your training and your experience teach you to think about what you are doing in a high speed pursuit and whether the risk of the pursuit is worth the apprehension, correct.
A. Sure.
Q. And that is not just supposed to be a reflex, that is supposed to be a thought process, correct.
A. Sure.
Q. And you had time to make decisions about what tactics to use in the chase, correct?
A. Sure.
Q. You had time to consider whether you would try one type or another of ramming maneuvers, correct?
A. Sure.
Q. You had time to consider the mechanical damage that you had done to the vehicle.
A. That is correct.
Q. You had time to consider whether to continue the chase into another police jurisdiction.
A. That is correct.
Id. at 480-82.
Similarly, Feist involved an officer who had participated in over one hundred high speed chases who “[a]t many points during the chase [of extended duration] had the opportunity to balance the law enforcement goal of apprehending [the suspect] for use of a stolen vehicle (a low-level penalty likely carrying no prison time) against the threat to the general public.” 222 F.3d at 461.
Because I believe that officers deliberate in most pursuits, I am frustrated by our inability to assess, on a case-by-case basis, whether the “deliberate indifference” standard should apply to a particular high speed pursuit. In adopting the “intent to harm” standard, the Supreme Court compared an officer’s ability to deliberate during a high speed chase with that of a prison official responding to a riot. See Lewis, 523 U.S. at 852-53, 118 S.Ct. 1708 (discussing Whitley v. Albers, 475 U.S. 312, 106 S.Ct. 1078, 89 L.Ed.2d 251 (1986)). I find that comparison unhelpful. “[O]ur concern with preserving the constitutional proportions of substantive due process demands an exact analysis of circumstances ” before deciding what shocks the conscience. Id. at 850, 118 S.Ct. 1708 (emphasis added). One’s conscience may not be shocked by deliberate indifference to rioting prisoners. But in assessing the exact circumstances involved in a high speed pursuit of extended duration, an officer’s deliberate indifference to the rights of innocent motorists and bystanders may very well shock the conscience.
*877Furthermore, the “intent to harm suspects” standard adopted by the Supreme Court fits ill with the type of § 1983 claim involved here — that of an innocent motorist injured as the result of a high speed pursuit. Oddly, under the Supreme Court’s test, an innocent motorist need not prove that an officer intended to harm him, but that the officer intended to harm a suspect Why are we concerned with an officer’s intent to harm a suspect, a juror might wonder, when the innocent motorist’s constitutional rights are at stake? The “deliberate indifference” test is more compatible with the § 1983 claim of an innocent motorist, who would then be required to prove deliberate indifference to his own constitutional rights.
For the reasons stated by the majority, however, I agree that the Supreme Court held that § 1983 claimants must satisfy the heightened, intent-to-harm standard in all high speed pursuit cases. Thus, irrespective of my differing views on a well-trained officer’s ability to deliberate, I turn my attention to Mr. Helseth’s proof that Officer Burch intended to harm nineteen year-old Everett Contois, the fleeing suspect in this case.
II
Helseth introduced substantial evidence tending to prove that Burch intended to injure Contois. Burch purposefully placed himself in a position to take over as the lead pursuer in an ongoing chase. App. at 345. He chased the fleeing vehicle at extremely high speeds, between 80 and 100 miles per hour. Id. at 349. He chased the vehicle over a retaining wall, plowing through several residential backyards in the dark of night, within feet of trees, patios, and occupied homes. Id. at 342-44, 463-68. Officer Bott, the original officer, terminated the chase after the suspect vehicle drove into residential backyards; but Burch continued the pursuit for an extended period of time after that. Id. at 287, 291, 341 349.
Most significantly, on four occasions Burch consciously employed PIT maneuvers to intentionally ram the suspect vehicle. Id. at 49, 345-46, 440-42, 471. The City of Blame’s police department regulations proscribe PIT maneuvers except in the most extreme circumstances. Id. at 330. PIT maneuvers are considered to be deadly force when used on a vehicle moving at high speeds (“intentional ramming causes the high probability of serious injury or death”). Id. Based on the Blaine regulations, as well as his training, Burch knew or should have known that intentional officer-initiated contact with a high speed vehicle was considered the use of deadly force. Id. at 46-49.
Under these circumstances, Officer Burch’s conduct shocks the conscience. He knowingly and deliberately used deadly force against a suspect whose only known offenses were misdemeanors — speeding and fleeing a police officer. Officer Burch could have terminated this chase after he identified the vehicle’s license plate5 so that he or other officers could subsequently have investigated the matter. Instead, Burch continued a chase that ultimately produced the death and paralysis of innocent motorists, and the incarceration of Contois for eighteen years for third-degree murder.
Officer Burch’s conduct would shock the conscience even if we knew nothing else *878about him. But we do. Helseth contends that Burch is that rare “rogue cop” who enjoys nothing more than the thrill of the chase. Burch’s pre- and post-incident record strongly suggests that to be true. Burch was involved in multiple police vehicle collisions or accidents (several involving the intentional ramming of suspect vehicles) both before and after the Contois pursuit. App. at 239-48, 527, 547-56. He was disciplined on several occasions for his “maverick behavior” and failure to adhere to department policies and procedures (including frequent driving violations). Id. at 529^4.
During a 1989 disciplinary proceeding, Officer Burch stated “if I have to answer a call and concern myself with car safety, then people are going to die,” leading the police chief to retort “[Burch] overlooks the fact that someone could die as a result of his unsafe driving.” Id. at 529 (emphasis added). During a 1994 disciplinary proceeding, an arbitrator commented that “[t]he City suggests it has repeatedly attempted to reconcile [Burch’s] maverick behavior through a variety of disciplinary actions but he fails to admit fault or demonstrate remorse.” Id. at 538.
My concerns are somewhat alleviated by the fact that Burch decided to retire from the Blaine Police Department sometime after the City suspended him for unreasonably using deadly force by performing an unnecessary PIT maneuver in yet another high speed chase. In February 1998, Burch drove one of four squad cars (two from the City of Blaine and two from the City of Coon Rapids) involved in a high speed pursuit. Burch lost his spot in the chase when he struck the other Blaine squad car. The two Coon Rapids squads took over the chase. The suspect vehicle blew a tire, slowing to 40-50 miles per hour. By the time Burch had closed on the slowing pursuit, the suspect vehicle was pulling over and traveling about 5-10 miles per hour. Nonetheless, Burch radioed ahead his intention to ram the vehicle, sped between the two Coon Rapids squad cars, and intentionally rear-ended the slow-moving suspect vehicle. Id. at 552-56.
In Lewis, the Supreme Court stated that “only a purpose to cause harm unrelated to the legitimate object of arrest will satisfy the element of arbitrary conduct shocking to the conscience, necessary for a due process violation [in a high speed chase].” 523 U.S. at 836, 118 S.Ct. 1708 (emphasis added). The majority concludes that we cannot infer intent to harm from Burch’s intentional ramming because “[t]he only harm intended by this conduct was incidental to Burch’s legitimate objective of arresting Contois.” Ante at 872. I strongly disagree.
“[T]he mere fact that force may have been used while effectuating an arrest does not automatically establish that the force was ‘in relation’ to a legitimate object of the arrest under a § 1983 analysis.” Davis v. Township of Hillside, 190 F.3d 167, 172 (3d Cir.1999) (McKee, J., concurring) (emphasis added). I cannot view Burch’s abuse of executive power as incidental to a legitimate law enforcement objective. Officer Burch’s use of deadly force against a fleeing misdeameanant constituted a completely unreasonable use of force in violation of clearly established law. See Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1, 12, 105 S.Ct. 1694, 85 L.Ed.2d 1 (1985) (noting a flat prohibition against the use of deadly force upon a fleeing misdemeanant, stemming from English common law and adopted by most American jurisdictions); Minn.Stat. § 609.066 (prohibiting the use *879of deadly force to prevent escape unless “the peace officer knows or has reasonable grounds to believe [the suspect] has committed or attempted to commit a felony involving the use or threatened use of deadly force [or] the officer knows or has reasonable grounds to believe [the suspect] has committed or attempted to commit a felony if the officer reasonably believes that the person will cause death or great bodily harm if the person’s apprehension is delayed.”) (emphasis added).
In addition, I believe that Burch’s intentional ramming of a fleeing misdemean-ant’s vehicle amounts to the same level of terrorizing conduct involved in Checki v. Webb, 785 F.2d 534 (5th Cir.1986).6 The Supreme Court referred to Checki when, by negative implication, the Court recognized a redressible § 1983 action in situations when an officer intends “to worsen [a suspect’s] legal plight.” Lewis, 523 U.S. at 854 & n. 13, 118 S.Ct. 1708. One can hardly dispute that Contois’s legal plight worsened as this chase progressed. A fleeing misdemeanant at the start of the chase, he was a murderer at its end.
The district court correctly concluded that Burch unreasonably used deadly force in violation of clearly established law, and that a reasonable jury could infer from Burch’s conduct that he “intended to harm Contois and the three juvenile passengers in his car.” Helseth v. Burch, 109 F.Supp.2d 1066, 1077 (D.Minn.2000). I would therefore affirm the district court’s denial of Burch’s motion for summary judgment on the basis of qualified immunity.

. Burch denied that he had identified the vehicle’s license plate until he was confronted with his own voice, identifying the plate, on a tape recording of the radio transmissions during the chase. Supp. Jt.App. at A-2, A-3.

. Contois described his state of mind after the ramming started as follows:
The chase started out the guy was just chasing me, all right, then this other guy shows up on the scene and he just started ramming me ... as soon as I came around the corner he hit me again and he hit me again and hit me again and he hit me, went the wrong way and he hit me again ... he hit me down the road and he hit me in the ditch and he hit me there and he hit me here.
I realize that I was success[fully] speeding, but I would assume that the original officer chasing me realized that I wasn't intentionally endangering anybody else. Every time there was a stoplight ... my brake lights would come on and I take off again when I saw him and kind of like a cat and mouse kind of thing ... He saw me again, better take off again.... It wasn't like a terrifying situation ... you are looking out ... for cars ... for people. But when all of a sudden it goes from ... not just a cat and mouse thing anymore, it's a tiger and a mouse and this guy is going to get you no matter what it takes, so now you are really trying to get away. Before you were trying to elude, maybe hide and pull up in a driveway and shut your lights off so he drives by. But when they start ramming into your car, you don't have that option. You don't have the option of getting out and running when he is ramming into you. You figure if you do get out, he's going to shoot you so you just keep trying to get away.
When people say I’m crazy because I thought there that they were trying to kill me, if you read police procedures that [ramming] is considered deadly force. Basically they are trying to kill you. That is not — well, let's just do this, no, let's try to kill this guy so he stops. So I don't think that my state of mind after being rammed was too far off base.
App. at 272-76.