Court Opinion

ID: 9540001
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:12:09.461039+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:59:31.236298
License: Public Domain

MR. JUSTICE GOLDENHERSH, specially concurring: Although I find it offensive that the luggage of airline passengers is subjected to this type of “dog sniffing” search, I conclude, with reluctance, that it is not constitutionally impermissible. The record, however, shows a warrantless search at the airport and a continuation of the search at the police station when the luggage had been taken off the luggage carrier, defendants were in custody, and had no access to it. Under these circumstances there was no justification for a warrantless search. This case is strikingly similar to United States v. Chadwick (1st Cir. 1976), 532 F.2d 773, and I agree with the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit that under Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752, 23 L. Ed. 2d 685, 89 S. Ct. 2034, this type of warrantless search was unreasonable and unlawful. Had this issue been raised by defendants and argued in the briefs, I would dissent rather than specially concur, but in view of their failure so to do, I reluctantly concur in the result.