Court Opinion

ID: 9515176
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 22:54:23.160822+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:06:25.834114
License: Public Domain

MEIERHENRY, Justice
(dissenting).
[¶ 20.] I respectfully dissent. The majority cites extensively to Gates. While Gates did abandon the formal application of the two-prong test for anonymous tips in favor of a totality of the circumstances analysis, it still requires “a conscientious assessment of the basis for crediting [anonymous] tips.” Id. at 238, 103 S.Ct. 2317. The Court in Gates goes on to state, “Our decisions applying the totality of circumstances analysis outlined above have consistently recognized the value of corroboration of details of an informant’s tip by independent police work.” Id. at 241, 103 S.Ct. 2317. In fact, Gates discusses the value and significance of corroborating facts separately and at great length. Id. at 241-46, 103 S.Ct. 2317.
[¶ 21.] The American Heritage Dictionary defines “corroborate” as follows: “To support or confirm by new evidence; attest the truth or accuracy of.” THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY 327 (2d ed 1985). In this case, the officer did nothing to verify that the anonymous caller’s information was truthful or accurate. He did not even go to the scene of the alleged criminal activity. It is true that there were two anonymous calls made in this case, but the State acknowledges the calls may have been made by the same person, since they were, after all, anonymous. And while the officer did check the license plate numbers given to him, he never verified that the vehicles had actually been at the apartment. If the “corroboration” that occurred in this case is all we require, an unaccountable, anonymous caller can cause a completely innocent person’s home to be raided by simply making up a provocative and entirely untruthful story.
[¶ 22.] The majority cites to Titus. In Titus the Colorado Supreme Court found that no probable cause existed where the license plate numbers given by an anonymous tipster were innocuous, and the majority distinguishes it on this basis. 880 P.2d at 151-52. However, the majority fails to mention that in Titus, the police also sent a police informant to the suspect’s home to attempt to purchase drugs, at which time the suspect made a number of suspicious statements, the police performed surveillance of the home,- and the officer determined the employment status of the suspect (self-employed). All of this was included in the officer’s affidavit. Id. at 149-50. Despite all of this comparatively substantial corroborating evidence, the Colorado court did not believe that probable cause was established.
[¶ 23.] Contrary to the statements in the majority opinion, there was no genuine corroboration of the anonymous tips in this case, i.e. attestation of the truth or accuracy of the tips. Neither was there firsthand observation of the wrongdoing by the tipster or anyone else. Here, the tipster(s) did not claim to have witnessed drug possession, consumption, sales, or purchases.
[¶ 24.] By adopting the majority opinion, we have nearly absolved an officer of the duty to investigate crimes personally, and now allow an officer to rely almost exclusively on unknown, unnamed, and unaccountable tipsters. The majority cites little, if any, authority where probable cause was found under similar circumstances. Instead, the majority distinguishes a few cases where probable cause was not found. In the case before us, all *298the officer did was check the license plate numbers given to him by the anonymous tipster(s). I disagree with the majority that this is enough. Simply put, this decision stretches the limits and reduces the requirements for probable cause to a point that puts even the most innocent and law abiding citizens at risk of a humiliating and demeaning intrusion of their homes.
[¶ 25.] Under the totality of the circumstances there was not a substantial basis for the issuing judge’s' finding of probable cause. I would affirm the trial court.