Court Opinion

ID: 9766154
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 04:34:52.121659+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:19.856768
License: Public Domain

OLSZEWSKI, Judge,
concurring:
As noted by the majority, two searches occurred in this case; the first was the drawing of appellant’s blood for medical purposes, and the second was the police officer’s request for the results of this test. Because the blood was drawn for a medical, rather than an investigative purpose, the first search did not involve state action. See Commonwealth v. Riedel, 539 Pa. 172, 176-78, 651 A.2d 135, 138 (1994). Thus no constitutional issue is presented by this search. The second search, however, was done by the state and therefore presents a viable constitutional issue. See id. Accordingly, we must decide whether the police officer could obtain the results of the medical blood test without first securing a search warrant.
As a matter of federal constitutional law, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found that as long as a police officer has probable cause to request a blood test before blood is actually drawn, she or he can request the results without a warrant under our implied consent statutory scheme. See Riedel at 182-84, 651 A.2d at 141. This is true whether the test was performed as a result of a police request or simply routine medical procedure. See Riedel, supra. The Riedel concurrence suggested that the Pennsylvania Constitution may mandate a different result.
The majority follows this suggestion in holding that the Pennsylvania Constitution does indeed require a warrant before obtaining the results of a strictly medical blood test. I agree. It is my view, however, that the majority’s discussion of the first search, namely the blood drawing, is unnecessary for our decision. As noted, the medical personnel in this case were not state actors and, therefore, neither the federal nor our state constitutions were implicated by the search. Hence, I write separately to join in the majority’s holding but not its discussion of blood searches.