Court Opinion

ID: 9720606
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 08:37:25.172491+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:19.900494
License: Public Domain

NARES, J., Dissenting.
I agree a detention occurred. I dissent, however, because the Fourth Amendment requires only “ ‘some minimal level of objective justification’ ” for making the stop. (United States v. Sokolow (1989) 490 U.S. 1, 7 [104 L.Ed.2d 1, 10, 109 S.Ct. 1581, 1585].) Here, police found Roth walking alone at 1:20 a.m. in a deserted and closed shopping center wearing a bulky and, in light of the weather conditions, inappropriate jacket. These circumstances are suspicious. Holding the detention unlawful, the court essentially means the police officer wrongfully performed his duty in investigating what any fair-minded person would have to concede are at least minimally suspicious circumstances. I find such a conclusion not only difficult to accept philosophically, but legally as well.
In evaluating the validity of a stop such as this, we must consider the “totality of the circumstances—the whole picture.” (People v. Miles (1987) 196 Cal.App.3d 612, 617 [242 Cal.Rptr. 107].) Here, there are at least three objective facts producing, in my view, ample justification for detention: time, location, appearance. On similar facts courts have held a detention lawful. For example, in People v. Ellis (1983) 113 Ill.App.3d 314 [446 N.E.2d 1282], police saw the defendant walking across a shopping center parking lot at 1:25 a.m. None of the stores were open. The defendant was not looking in any store windows. Residences were located near the *217shopping center and a “rash of burglaries” had recently occurred in the area. (446 N.E.2d at pp. 1284-1285.) The court in Ellis held the officer was justified in detaining the defendant. Similarly, in People v. Allen (1975) 50 Cal.App.3d 896 [123 Cal.Rptr. 80], the court upheld a detention where police found the defendant walking alone at 2:35 a.m. in a used car lot. Allen states, “Believing that the presence of the defendant at the place and hour was unusual the officer decided to investigate.” (Id. at p. 899.) Like the situations in Ellis and Allen, here the police did not act on a wild hunch, but instead detained Roth based on his presence at an unusual hour at deserted and closed business premises.
Whether reasonable suspicion exists is not “readily or even usefully, reduced to a neat set of legal rules.” (United States v. Sokolow, supra, 490 U.S. at p. 7 [104 L.Ed.2d at p. 10, 109 S.Ct. at p. 1585].) Ultimately, the test is whether under the circumstances a reasonable person in the officer’s position would determine a temporary detention was necessary to properly discharge his duties. (People v. Allen, supra, 50 Cal.App.3d at p. 901.) Here, I have difficulty imagining any reasonable officer not detaining Roth. The Fourth Amendment does not prohibit crime prevention. The officer properly performed his duties. Accordingly, I would affirm.
Respondent’s petition for review by the Supreme Court was denied June 27, 1990. Arabian, J., was of the opinion that the petition should be granted.