"Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid." President Ronald Reagan Case Law 4 Cops contains information on hundreds of court cases. These cases are important to officers and citizens alike. The cases cover what officers can and cannot do in several areas of law. Follow the links below.

New Cases

Homes and Property-

Bailey v. Swindell, No. 18-13572 (11th Cir 2019)-Deputy Swindell contacted Bailey at his mother's home to ask him about a domestic that occurred with his estranged wife. Bailey kept his distance from Swindell. He wanted to know why he was being quetioned. Swindell kept telling him that he wanted Bailey to talk with him at his vehicle. Bailey refused. Swindell would not tell him what he was investigating. Bailey got frustrated and went back into his house. Swindell made no announcement that he was detaining Bailey. Instead, Swindell followed Bailey into his livingroom and tackled and arrested him. Bailey sued. The Circuit Court held that Swindell unlawfully arrested Bailey out of his parents' home. Swindell crossed a "firm" and "bright" constitutional line and violated Bailey's Fourth Amendment rights. Swindell was not entitled to qualified immunity.

US v. Sawyer, No. 18-2923 (7th Cir 2019)-A person trespassing in an unoccupied rental home has no expectation of privacy and , therefore, has no standing to challenge the search of property the person left in the home.

Traffic-

US v. Malik, No. 19-10166 (9th Cir. 2020)-A Trooper stopped a tractor-trailer for speeding. The Trooper smelled marijuana in the cab. Malik kept changed his story about how long ago he smoked marijuana. The Trooper searched the vehicle and found 135 lbs of cocaine and 114 lbs of methamphetamine. Malik was arrested. The district court suppressed the evidence. The prosecutor appealed. The Circuit Court held that the lower court erred by not considering Malik's changing story on when he smoked marijuana. The lower court further erred by considering the Trooper's subjective reasons for searching the vehicle. Malik changed his story. Eventhough Nevada has decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana, it is a crime to smoke marijuana in public or in a moving vehicle. It is also a crime to operate a vehicle under the influence of marijuana. The Trooper had probable cause to search the vehicle.

Surveillance-

US v. Rickmon, No. 19-2054 (7 Cir. 2020)-ShotSpotter is a surveillance network of GPS-enabled acoustic sensors used to identify, triangulate, and direct officers to the location of gunfire. ShotSpotter detected gunfire and police were sent to the area. The first officer on scene spotted a vehicle leaving the area. He stopped the vehicle. The passenger, Rickmon was arrested for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Rickmon appealed claiming that that ShotSpotter information was inaccurate and unreliable. The information from it was insufficient to justify his vehicle being stopped. The District and Circuit Courts held that the totality of the circumstances made the traffic stop lawful.