State v. Saturno
State v. Saturno
Opinion of the Court
The defendant, Donald Saturno, appeals from the judgments of conviction rendered by the trial court following his conditional pleas of nolo contendere, pursuant to General Statutes § 54-94a,
The record reveals the following undisputed facts and procedural history. The defendant lived in an apartment located in the basement of a building in the city of Stamford (city). That building was zoned and assessed by the city as a two-family residence. After receiving a complaint indicating that the building had several entry doors and three mailboxes, the city's Department of Health and Social Services (health department)
attempted to conduct an inspection, but was refused entry by the defendant. After two additional attempts to inspect the building proved unsuccessful, the health department presented an application for an administrative search warrant (application) to a judge of the Superior Court. The application included an affidavit signed by two inspectors from the health department, Marjorie Beauchette and Renford Whynes, stating that they had probable cause to believe that an illegal apartment existed in the building in violation of § 146-34(A) of the Stamford Code of Ordinances.
Subsequently, pursuant to the health department's standard policy, Beauchette scheduled a date for the execution of the administrative search warrant by a team comprised of various city officials
After a considerable period of time, the defendant opened the basement door and identified himself as the property owner.
Consequently, the police officers obtained a criminal search warrant to search the premises for items related to bomb making. Pursuant to this criminal search warrant, the police officers seized the suspected pipe bomb, three computers, and other items related to bomb making.
Additionally, a second criminal search warrant was issued to search the hard drives of the seized computers, which resulted in the discovery of child pornography.
The defendant thereafter moved to suppress the seized items on the ground that an administrative search warrant does not authorize the entry of police officers into a private residence and that a criminal search warrant pursuant to General Statutes § 54-33a could not properly issue in this case. Following an evidentiary hearing, the trial court issued a ruling from the bench denying the defendant's motion to suppress. In so ruling, the trial court concluded that the administrative search warrant in the present case satisfied the probable cause standard for a targeted administrative inspection and that the police officers had only a "passive" presence during the execution of the administrative search warrant.
The defendant then entered pleas of nolo contendere to one count of manufacturing a bomb in violation of § 53-80a and one count of possession of child pornography in the first degree in violation of § 53a-196d (a)(1), conditioned on his right to appeal the denial of his motion to suppress. See General Statutes § 54-94a. This appeal followed.
At the outset, we set forth the standard of review. "[O]ur standard of
review of a trial court's findings and conclusions in connection with a motion to suppress is well defined. A finding of fact will not be disturbed
unless it is clearly erroneous in view of the evidence and pleadings in the whole record.... [When] the legal conclusions of the court are challenged, [our review is plenary, and] we must determine whether they are legally and logically correct...." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
State v. Buckland,
Before addressing the merits of the parties' claims, we begin by setting forth certain constitutional provisions relevant to regulatory inspections conducted pursuant to city ordinances. "The fourth amendment to the United States constitution, which is made applicable to the states through the fourteenth amendment ... provides that [t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.... A search for purposes of the [f]ourth [a]mendment occurs when a reasonable expectation of privacy is infringed.... In
Camara [v. Municipal Court,
I
The defendant first claims that the trial court improperly denied his motion to suppress the evidence that formed the basis for the charges against him because the Superior Court judge who issued the administrative search warrant lacked authority.
As a preliminary matter, we note that the defendant failed to raise this claim before the trial court. We, therefore, review his claim pursuant to
State v. Golding,
Section 19a-220 provides: "When any person refuses to obey a legal order given by a director of health, health committee or board of health, or endeavors to prevent it from being carried into effect, a judge of the Superior Court may issue his warrant to a proper officer or to an indifferent person, therein stating such order and requiring him to carry it into effect, and such officer or indifferent person shall execute the same. " (Emphasis added.)
The use of the term "his warrant" necessarily implies that an administrative search warrant was contemplated by the legislature as a means of enforcing public health ordinances. The term "his warrant" is not defined in this statute or related provisions. "In the absence of a definition of terms in the statute itself, [w]e may presume ... that the legislature intended [a word] to have its ordinary meaning in the English language, as gleaned from the context of its use.... Under such circumstances, it is appropriate to look to the common understanding of the term as expressed in a dictionary." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
Studer v. Studer,
The term "warrant" is defined with substantial similarity in a number of dictionaries. Webster's Third New International Dictionary (2002) defines "warrant" as, inter alia, "a precept or writ issued by a ... magistrate authorizing an officer to make an arrest, a seizure, or a search or to do other acts incident to the administration of justice...." See also Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th Ed. 2011) (same). The American Heritage College Dictionary (4th Ed. 2002) similarly defines "warrant" as, inter alia, a "judicial writ authorizing an officer to make a search, seizure, or arrest or to execute a judgment...." Applying the dictionary definition of "warrant" indicates that the legislature intended § 19a-220 to authorize the issuance of an administrative search warrant for suspected violations of local ordinances pertaining to the protection of public health.
The defendant nevertheless claims that § 19a-220 does not authorize an administrative search warrant. The defendant asserts that, unlike General Statutes § 29-305,
The promulgation and enforcement of local health ordinances constitute a valid exercise of the state's police power. See
DeMello v. Plainville,
This court has, therefore, recognized that the promulgation of municipal health and safety ordinances is a proper exercise of the state's police powers. We conclude that § 19a-220 codifies that police power. When read in conjunction with the aforementioned dictionary definitions, § 19a-220 expressly authorizes a judge of the Superior Court to issue an administrative search warrant and requires "a proper officer" or "indifferent person" to "carry" that warrant "into effect" and "execute the same." This explicit grant of authority amounts to a recognition of the state's inherent police power to protect the health and safety of the public and provides an enforcement mechanism for the same.
Contrary to the defendant's contention, the absence of express language concerning a right of inspection or entry does not justify the inference that
§ 19a-220 does not authorize the issuance of administrative search warrants. In fact, an examination of related statutes reveals that General Statutes § 19a-207
Lastly, the defendant contends that if § 19a-220 applies, the statutory language contemplates the issuance of a restraining order, rather than an administrative search warrant.
The defendant's interpretation is contrary to the plain language of § 19a-220. There is nothing in the language of the statute to indicate that the legislature intended to restrict the scope of § 19a-220 to the issuance of restraining orders. Instead, the term "his warrant" supports the conclusion that the legislature intended § 19a-220 to constitute a broad grant of authority to the judges of the Superior Court, a grant that reasonably includes the power to issue administrative search warrants as a means of enforcing local housing ordinances.
In the present case, the health department sent two notices of inspection to the listed property owner in accordance with the standards set forth in § 146-5 of the Stamford Code of Ordinances and was refused entry onto the premises on the scheduled inspection dates. Because the property owner and the defendant failed to obey the health department's order of inspection, the trial court had the authority pursuant to General Statutes § 19a-220 to issue an administrative search warrant to carry out the health department's order. Accordingly, we conclude that the defendant has failed to satisfy Golding 's third prong and that, therefore, his constitutional claim must fail.
II
The defendant next contends that, even if this court were to conclude that § 19a-220 provides authority for the issuance of an administrative search warrant, the warrant in the present case was invalid because the Superior Court judge
that issued it failed to apply the proper legal standard. Specifically, the defendant contends that an application for an administrative search warrant that targets a particular property must satisfy a standard of probable cause "more rigor[ous] than would be applied to a search warrant ... in a criminal proceeding."
Bozrah clearly controls the standard of probable cause to be applied in the present case. As in Bozrah, the inspection in the present case was made in response to a complaint, rather than in the course of a periodic or area inspection program, and it targeted a specific property. The defendant has failed to cite, and our research has not revealed, any legal authority requiring a higher standard of probable cause than that necessary to support a criminal search warrant in the context of administrative searches.
Having concluded that Bozrah controls, we turn to the defendant's contention that the health department's application did not contain sufficient facts to support a finding that there was probable cause to believe the building contained more than two apartments. We disagree.
The law regarding probable cause and the standards for upholding the issuance of a search warrant are well settled. "It is well established that a search conducted without a warrant issued upon probable cause is per se unreasonable ... subject only to a few specifically
established and well-delineated exceptions." (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Id., at 685,
"Traditionally, probable cause requires some showing of individualized suspicion beyond mere common rumor or report, suspicion, or even strong reason to suspect.... For instance, in the criminal
context, a judicial officer may issue a warrant upon a finding of
probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed and that the items sought are likely to be found at the place specified in the warrant.... Anything less than a finding that the facts available to the officer at the moment of the seizure or the search warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief that the action taken was appropriate ... would invite intrusions upon constitutionally guaranteed rights based on nothing more substantial than inarticulate hunches.... And simple good faith on the part of the arresting officer is not enough.... If subjective good faith alone were the test, the protections of the [f]ourth [a]mendment would evaporate, and the people would be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, only in the discretion of the police." (Citations omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.)
Bozrah v. Chmurynski,
supra,
The application in the present contained the following facts, attested to by Beauchette and Whynes. The health department received a complaint alleging that there were several entry doors and three mailboxes on the outside of the building, which was zoned and assessed as a two-family residence. As a result of having received this complaint and having reviewed the city records, the health department believed that the property was being operated in violation of an ordinance prohibiting the operation of a "multiple dwelling" without an operating license. See Stamford Code of Ordinances, c. 146, art. II, § 146-34(A); see also footnote 3 of this opinion.
Consequently, the health department mailed a notice of inspection to the listed property owner. The notice provided a specific date and time for the inspection and cited to § 146-5 of the Stamford Code of Ordinances, which authorizes the health department to conduct inspections of residential properties to ensure compliance with the city's housing code. On the scheduled inspection date, the defendant refused to permit entry onto the property. The following week, the health department attempted to inspect the property without notice, but was unable to do so. A second notice of inspection was subsequently mailed to the property owner. On the scheduled inspection date, Beauchette and Whynes attempted to inspect the property, but again were unable to do so. While they were at the premises, however, Beauchette and Whynes noted that there were three mailboxes, three entrances, and three separate addresses listed on the building.
Applying the probable cause standard for a targeted administrative inspection, as set forth in
Bozrah,
to the facts of the present case, we conclude that the application provided a substantial factual basis for a finding that there was probable cause to believe the building was being operated as a "multiple dwelling" in violation of § 146-34(A) of the Stamford Code of Ordinances. Beauchette and Whynes alleged in the application that they had personally observed three mailboxes, three entrances, and three different address numbers on the building. These facts were "sufficient to cause a reasonable person to believe that conditions constituting a violation" of the city's housing code could be found on the property.
Bozrah v. Chmurynski,
supra,
III
The defendant next contends that his rights under article first, § 7, of
the Connecticut constitution
The defendant's claim requires us to examine the scope of the rights afforded by the Connecticut constitution in comparison to the federal constitution. "It is [well established] that federal constitutional and statutory law establishes a minimum national standard for the exercise of individual rights and does not inhibit state governments from affording higher level of protection for such rights.... In determining the contours of the protections provided by our state constitution, we employ a multifactor approach that we first adopted in [
State v. Geisler,
State v. Kelly,
As to the first
Geisler
factor, namely, the relevant constitutional text, "this court repeatedly has observed that the language of article first, § 7, of the state constitution closely resembles the language of the fourth amendment to the federal constitution.... That linguistic similarity undermines the defendant's contention that the state constitution provides a greater opportunity to challenge the legality of a search than the federal constitution. The similarity denotes a common source and, thus, [supports] a common interpretation of the provisions." (Citations omitted; footnote omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.)
State v. Davis,
Turning to the second
Geisler
factor, the decisions of this court and the Appellate Court, we begin by examining
Bozrah v. Chmurynski,
supra,
As previously noted in this opinion, this court concluded in
Bozrah
that, because there was no statute authorizing the issuance of search warrants in zoning cases, there was no adequate remedy at law for a city to enforce its zoning ordinances. Id., at 694,
In so holding, this court stated that "an injunction issued upon a finding of probable cause adequately serves the purposes of the warrant requirement." Id., at 695,
The defendant essentially claims that, upon being denied entry onto the property, the health department was required to seek an injunction to enjoin the defendant from refusing to consent to an inspection of the property, as occurred in
Bozrah v. Chmurynski,
supra,
Unlike the situation in
Bozrah,
the present case does not involve an inspection for zoning violations, but rather an inspection for violations of the city's housing code, which is enforced by the health department. See Stamford Code of Ordinances, c. 146, art. II, § 146-34(A). In this opinion, we have also determined that
§ 19a- 220 authorizes the health department to seek an administrative search warrant in order to enforce city ordinances pertaining to health. See part I of this opinion. Furthermore, as previously explained in this opinion, the Appellate Court has concluded that § 29-305 authorizes the issuance of administrative warrants to search for municipal fire code violations. See
Rutka v. Meriden,
supra,
In accordance with the third
Geisler
factor, we now examine relevant federal precedents. In
Marshall v. Barlow's, Inc.,
See
Furthermore, several other federal courts have upheld the validity of ex parte administrative search warrants under the federal constitution. For instance, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has explained as follows: "[I]n [administrative] search warrant cases, a neutral and detached magistrate will have had the opportunity to examine the reasonableness of the proposed search. Such an inquiry focuses on the information in the possession of those seeking the warrant rather than on the actual conduct of the party to be searched. Thus, an adequate inquiry can be conducted without the direct participation of the latter."(Footnote omitted.)
In re Establishment Inspection of Hern Iron Works, Inc.,
In the present case, the defendant has not cited, and our research has not revealed, a single case in which a court has concluded that a property owner or occupant is constitutionally required to receive notice and an opportunity to be heard in court before judicial authorization for an administrative search may be granted. Accordingly, we are not persuaded that the fourth factor weighs in favor of a determination that article first, § 7, of the Connecticut constitution affords the defendant greater protection than the federal constitution in this context.
As to the fifth
Geisler
factor, concerning "whether the historical circumstances surrounding the adoption of article first, § 7, support the defendant's claim to greater protections under that provision than are afforded by the federal constitution, we have stated that [t]he declaration of rights adopted in 1818 appears to have its antecedents in the Mississippi constitution of 1817, which in turn derived from the federal bill of rights and the Virginia declaration of rights of 1776.... The search and seizure provision in our 1818 constitution, then article first, § 8, closely resembles the
fourth amendment to the United States constitution. Although its enumeration was changed to article first, § 7, when the 1965 constitution incorporated article first, § 4, into article seventh, its language has not been altered since its original adoption.... The language of article first, § 7, which was based upon the fourth amendment, was adopted with little debate.... Thus, the circumstances surrounding the adoption of article first, § 7, lend weight to the view that, in most cases, a practice permitted under the fourth amendment is permissible under article first, § 7." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
State v. Williams,
Finally, with respect to the sixth Geisler factor, namely, contemporary economic or sociological understandings, the defendant relies upon a treatise authored by a law school professor, Wayne R. LaFave. This treatise comments that Camara "could have better protected the right of privacy by permitting the use of administrative warrants enforceable only after giving the householder an opportunity to be heard in court." 5 W. LaFave, Search and Seizure: A Treatise on the Fourth Amendment (5th Ed. 2012) § 10.1(d), p. 29. The treatise further concludes that "adversary proceedings in advance of inspection can be had without risk to the government interests being pursued." Id., p. 28. For the reasons which follow, however, we are not persuaded by this reasoning and, instead, conclude that the imposition of an adversarial hearing requirement under the circumstances of the present case would be detrimental to the public interest.
First, in
Bozrah v. Chmurynski,
supra,
the trial court's order that the municipality could search the property over the objection of the defendants was an "appealable final judgment." Appeals from judicial orders enjoining individuals from interfering with an administrative inspection would greatly delay the orderly progress of administrative inspection schemes. Consequently, such a delay would hinder enforcement of municipal ordinances that were enacted for the purpose of protecting the health and welfare of the public.
Second, we disagree with the defendant's characterization of the violation at issue in this case as "a relatively small problem." A violation of this seemingly minor ordinance could lead to harmful results. In the present case, the judge who issued the administrative search warrant determined that there was probable cause to believe that an illegal apartment could be found on the premises. As a result, that judge could have reasonably concluded that the health department would find more serious violations on the property, and issued a warrant that authorized a search for fire safety, housing, and building code violations. For example, the maintenance of illegal apartments may result in the overburdening of the building's electrical system and
such apartments are often heated with space heaters and ovens. These practices present serious fire hazards that can lead to significant property damage, injury, and death. See, e.g.,
Enis v. Ba-Call Building Corp.,
Lastly, we emphasize that, in the present case, the health department sent two notices of inspection to the property owner and attempted to inspect the property on those scheduled dates. The health department also made another attempt to inspect the property without notice and was unable to do so. Thus, this was not a case where the health department, upon receipt of a complaint, resorted immediately to the warrant process. Rather, the health department made reasonable efforts to place the property owner on notice of its need to inspect the property prior to seeking a warrant.
Considering all of the Geisler factors, we conclude that the defendant's rights under article first, § 7, of the Connecticut constitution were not violated. Accordingly, we reject this claim.
IV
Lastly, the defendant claims that his rights under the fourth amendment to the United States constitution were violated because one of the police officers accompanying the city officials exercised "excessive force" when he broke the lock on the fence in order to access the basement door.
Officers executing a valid search warrant are still bound by the fourth amendment standard of reasonableness. See
Dalia v. United States,
First, as previously noted in this opinion, the city officials had a legitimate interest in inspecting the property to determine whether there were any illegal apartments. See part III of this opinion. In the present case, after making unsuccessful attempts to obtain the property owner's consent to inspect, the health department obtained a valid administrative search warrant supported by adequate probable cause. See part II of this opinion. Evidence adduced at the suppression hearing supports the conclusion that the only way the city officials could determine whether there was an illegal apartment in the basement, as alleged in the application, was to break the lock on the fence enclosing the staircase that led to the basement. During their inspection of the first and second floors of the building, the city officials observed that there was no apparent entrance to the basement from the interior of the building. Consequently, they searched for an exterior entrance to the basement and located the aforementioned fenced area in the backyard. Thus, the police officer had good reason to damage the lock, as this action was necessary to carry out the search effectively.
Second, the intrusion on the defendant's fourth amendment rights was minimal. The police officer here broke a single lock on a fence that enclosed a staircase that led to an exterior entrance to the basement. Once he opened the fence's gate, the police officers then descended the stairs and knocked on the basement door. After knocking, the police officers and the city officials waited a considerable period of time before the defendant opened the door. The police officers informed the defendant about the administrative search warrant and asked him to secure his dogs before they conducted a cursory safety check of the threshold area of the basement. There is no evidence in the record that the police officers or the city officials had a less intrusive means of entering the basement. Accordingly, weighing the purpose of the search-to inspect for conditions that may potentially endanger the inhabitants of the building-against the extent of the property damage-a broken fence lock-we conclude that the manner in which the entry was accomplished was reasonable.
The defendant, nevertheless, contends that the administrative search warrant did not authorize the police officers to use force while accompanying the city officials during the execution of the warrant. We disagree. As the United States Supreme Court has stated, "[n]othing in the language of the [United States constitution] or in this [c]ourt's decisions interpreting that language suggests that ... search warrants also must include a specification of the precise manner in which they are to be executed. On the contrary, it is generally left to the discretion of the executing officers to determine the details of how best to proceed with the performance of a search authorized by warrant-subject of course to the general [f]ourth [a]mendment protection 'against unreasonable searches and seizures.' " (Footnote omitted.)
Dalia v. United States,
supra,
The defendant's final contention is that the administrative search should have ended when the city officials found an illegal apartment on the upper floors of the building. We are not persuaded. The application requested the authority to search the premises "to positively determine how many units [were] in the dwelling" and specifically alleged that there was a "possible illegal [basement]." Furthermore, it was reasonable for the city officials to believe, upon discovery of an illegal apartment on the upper floors of the building, that there might be an additional apartment in the basement. The defendant fails to cite to any authority, and we know of none, that would support a conclusion that the city officials, upon discovering that there was an illegal apartment in the building, were prohibited from determining the extent of the housing code violation.
Accordingly, we conclude that the execution of the administrative search warrant in the present case comported with the fourth amendment's overarching requirement of reasonableness.
Therefore, we conclude that the trial court properly denied the defendant's motion to suppress the evidence seized as a result of the search conducted pursuant to the administrative search warrant.
The judgment is affirmed.
In this opinion ROGERS, C.J., and PALMER, McDONALD, ESPINOSA and ROBINSON, Js., concurred.
General Statutes § 54-94a provides in relevant part: "When a defendant, prior to the commencement of trial, enters a plea of nolo contendere conditional on the right to take an appeal from the court's denial of the defendant's motion to suppress ... the defendant after the imposition of sentence may file an appeal within the time prescribed by law provided a trial court has determined that a ruling on such motion to suppress ... would be dispositive of the case. The issue to be considered in such an appeal shall be limited to whether it was proper for the court to have denied the motion to suppress...."
We note that, while the trial court accepted the defendant's pleas of nolo contendere, it did not determine whether its ruling on the defendant's motion to suppress was dispositive of the case as contemplated by § 54-94a. In order to cure this technical defect, this court issued an order, sua sponte, requiring the trial court to consider that issue. The trial court subsequently determined that its ruling on the motion to suppress was dispositive, thereby satisfying the requirements of § 54-94a. See
State v. Janulawicz,
We note that some of the statutes and municipal regulations at issue in the present case refer to the director of the health department. See, e.g., General Statutes § 19a-207. In the interest of simplicity, all references to the health department hereinafter include the director.
Section 146-34(A) of the Stamford Code of Ordinances provides in relevant part: "No person shall operate a multiple dwelling ... unless he holds a valid, current, unrevoked operating license issued by the Director of Health...."
"Multiple dwelling" is defined as "[a]ny dwelling containing three ... or more dwelling units." Stamford Code of Ordinances, c. 146, art. II, § 1461(B). "Dwelling unit" is, in turn, defined as "[a]ny room or group of rooms located within a dwelling and forming a single habitable unit with facilities which are used, arranged or designed to be occupied for living, sleeping, cooking and eating."
In addition to Beauchette and Whynes, these officials included a land use inspector, a zoning enforcement officer, and an assistant fire marshal. In the interest of simplicity, we hereinafter refer to these individuals collectively as the city officials.
The records of the city assessor indicated that the property was owned by William Hertle Properties, LLC, in the care of Debra Saturno-Galang. Beauchette testified at the suppression hearing that the defendant was one of the lessees of the property at the time of the search.
We note that the validity of the two criminal search warrants is not at issue in this appeal. The question of whether the evidence seized from the defendant's apartment should be suppressed turns solely upon the validity of the administrative search.
The defendant subsequently appealed from the trial court's ruling on his motion to suppress pursuant to § 54-94a, and we transferred the appeal to this court pursuant to General Statutes § 51-199(c) and Practice Book § 65-1.
We note that neither party disputes that the inspection of the defendant's apartment for violations of the city's housing code constitutes a "search" within the meaning of the fourth amendment. Nor does either party contend that any of the well established exceptions to the warrant requirement applies to the inspection at issue in the present case.
The state relies on common-law authority for the issuance of the administrative search warrant and, at oral argument before this court, seemed to concede the absence of statutory authority. We, however, are not bound by this concession. See
LeConche v. Elligers,
General Statutes § 29-305 provides in relevant part: "(a) Each local fire marshal and the State Fire Marshal, for the purpose of satisfying themselves that all pertinent statutes and regulations are complied with, may inspect in the interests of public safety all buildings, facilities, processes, equipment, systems and other areas regulated by the Fire Safety Code and the State Fire Prevention Code within their respective jurisdictions....
"(d) Upon receipt by the local fire marshal of information from an authentic source that any other building or facility within the local fire marshal's jurisdiction is hazardous to life safety from fire, the local fire marshal shall inspect such building or facility. In each case in which the local fire marshal conducts an inspection, the local fire marshal shall be satisfied that all pertinent statutes and regulations are complied with, and shall keep a record of such investigations. Such local fire marshal or a designee shall have the right of entry at all reasonable hours into or upon any premises within the local fire marshal's jurisdiction for the performance of the fire marshal's duties except that occupied dwellings and habitations, exclusive of common use passageways and rooms in tenement houses, hotels and rooming houses, may only be entered for inspections between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., except in the event of any emergency requiring immediate attention for life safety, or in the interests of public safety...." (Emphasis added.)
General Statutes § 19a-207 provides in relevant part: "The local director of health or his authorized agent or the board of health shall enforce or assist in the enforcement of the Public Health Code and such regulations as may be adopted by the Commissioner of Public Health. Towns, cities and boroughs may retain the power to adopt, by ordinance, sanitary rules and regulations, but no such rule or regulation shall be inconsistent with the Public Health Code as adopted by said commissioner...." (Emphasis added.) Furthermore, General Statutes § 7-148(c)(7)(A)(i) authorizes municipalities to "[m]ake rules relating to the maintenance of safe and sanitary housing...."
Section 146-5 of the Stamford Code of Ordinances provides in relevant part: "The Director of Health is hereby authorized and directed to make periodic inspections by and with the consent of the owner, occupant or person in charge, to determine the condition of dwellings ... located within [the] city, for the purpose of determining compliance with the provisions of this chapter...." Despite the fact that § 146-5 authorizes "periodic inspections," Beauchette testified at the suppression hearing that most of the health department's inspections are conducted in response to a complaint, as was the case here.
Furthermore, although we note that the defendant correctly states that there is no state statute that specifically sets forth the requirements for the issuance of an administrative search warrant, the city, pursuant to its authority under General Statutes § 19a-207, adopted a warrant procedure that carefully limits the health department's inspection authority in time, place, and scope. See Stamford Code of Ordinances, c. 146, art. I, §§ 146-5 and 146-6. The health department, with the consent of the property owner or occupant, is "authorized to enter, examine and survey between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m." or at another agreed upon time. Stamford Code of Ordinances, c. 146, art. I, § 146-5. Ordinances further establish a notice procedure whereby the health department is required, whenever practicable, "to provide reasonable advance notice" to the owners or occupants of the residential building.
The defendant also contends that an application for a search warrant must set forth the proper statutory authority under which the Superior Court judge may issue the warrant. In making this argument, the defendant highlights the fact that the application in the present case improperly referenced § 54-33a, which authorizes the issuance of criminal search warrants but does not authorize a search warrant for a suspected civil offense. The defendant cites no legal authority and provides no legal analysis in support of this claim and, therefore, we decline to review it. See
Knapp v. Knapp,
We note that this court has previously explained that § 19a-220 authorizes a judge of the Superior Court, upon a showing of probable cause, to issue a warrant for the arrest of an individual who violated an order of the health district to repair a septic system that was leaking raw sewage. See
Brooks v. Sweeney,
We note that this court concluded in
Bozrah v. Chmurynski,
supra,
The defendant also claims that the administrative search warrant violated the fourth amendment's "oath or affirmation" requirement because the application was sworn to and signed before a notary public, rather than before the issuing judge. We disagree.
The United States constitution does not "specif[y] a particular procedure for evidencing whether probable cause has been supported by oath or affirmation," but rather "simply require[s] that probable cause, in fact, be so supported."
State v. Colon,
"[T]he Supreme Court held in
Camara
...
that inspections that are part of a general administrative plan for the enforcement of a statutory scheme are reasonable within the meaning of the fourth amendment if reasonable legislative or administrative standards for conducting an
area
inspection demonstrate a valid public interest.... Particularized suspicion for choosing an individual residence within the area searched is unnecessary.... In other words, probable cause to inspect a particular location may be based on a showing that the premises was chosen pursuant to a general administrative plan for the enforcement of a statute derived from neutral sources." (Citations omitted; emphasis in original; internal quotation marks omitted.)
Bozrah v. Chmurynski,
supra,
The defendant contends that the trial court improperly considered evidence beyond that in the application. Our review of the transcript of the trial court's ruling on the defendant's motion reveals that the trial court did not specify what facts it was relying on when it determined the existence of probable cause and there is no indication that the trial court relied on facts outside of the application. Furthermore, it is evident that the trial court was focused upon the issue of the police presence during the execution of the warrant, rather than on the existence of probable cause. We limit our review to the four corners of the application and conclude that it contains sufficient facts to support a finding of probable cause.
Article first, § 7, of the Connecticut constitution provides: "The people shall be secure in their persons, houses, papers and possessions from unreasonable searches or seizures; and no warrant to search any place, or to seize any person or things, shall issue without describing them as nearly as may be, nor without probable cause supported by oath or affirmation."
The defendant concedes that his claim is unpreserved, but again seeks
Golding
review. See
State v. Golding,
supra,
We note that, although this court in
Bozrah v. Chmurynski,
supra,
As the defendant highlights in his brief, we stated in
Bozrah v. Chmurynski,
supra,
The court rejected the federal agency's argument that the efficient administration of OSHA would be impeded by the advance notice and delay that would be associated with the imposition of a warrant requirement in cases where an inspector has been denied entry.
Marshall v. Barlow's, Inc.,
supra,
Since the United States Supreme Court's decision in
Barlow's, Inc.,
the regulations promulgated under OSHA have been amended to expressly authorize an ex parte warrant procedure. See
The defendant correctly notes that federal cases upholding the issuance of ex parte administrative warrants arise primarily in the context of OSHA inspections. See, e.g.,
Trinity Marine Products, Inc. v. Chao,
We consider the situation presented in the present case to be similar in context to cases involving OSHA inspections. In both situations officials are authorized by statute to inspect private property for regulatory violations. Furthermore, we are not persuaded by the defendant's argument distinguishing OSHA violations from city housing code violations. Contrary to the defendant's contention, not all evidence of OSHA violations may be easily concealed. See
Marshall v. Barlow's, Inc.,
supra,
We further note that the fact that General Statutes § 51-286b authorizes the initiation of criminal prosecutions for "any ... municipal housing or health law" bolsters our understanding that § 19a-220 authorizes the issuance of ex parte administrative search warrants to expedite the resolution of such matters. See General Statutes § 51-286b ("[t]he assistant state's attorney or deputy assistant state's attorney assigned to handle housing matters may initiate prosecutions for violations of any state or municipal housing or health law, code or ordinance either upon the affidavit of an individual complainant or upon complaint from a state or municipal agency responsible for the enforcement of any law, code or ordinance concerning housing matters"); see also General Statutes § 47a-68 (6) (defining housing matters as "[a]ll actions involving one or more violations of any state or municipal health, housing, building, electrical, plumbing, fire or sanitation code, including violations occurring in commercial properties, or of any other statute, ordinance or regulation concerned with the health, safety or welfare of any occupant of any housing").
We note that, while there is no evidence that the defendant himself received notice of the scheduled inspections, the application specifically identified the defendant as the individual who refused to permit entry to the health department on the first scheduled inspection date. Therefore, the defendant was aware of at least one of the health department's attempts to inspect.
The defendant has also alleged violations of state constitutional rights in regard to his claim of excessive force, but he has failed to provide an independent analysis of them as required by
State v. Geisler,
supra,
The state contends that although the defendant raised this claim during oral argument on his motion to suppress evidence, the trial court did not explicitly rule on it and, thus, the defendant's claim is unpreserved. See Practice Book § 60-5. We disagree. The trial court denied the defendant's motion to suppress and concluded that the police presence during the execution of the administrative search warrant was "passive" and "not intrusive in any way." We can infer from our review of the transcript of the trial court's ruling on the defendant's motion to suppress that all claims presented by the defendant in support of his motion were denied. Thus, we conclude that the defendant's claim was adequately preserved and, accordingly, we address it.
Concurring Opinion
I agree with the majority that, because none of the claims raised by the defendant, Donald Saturno, has merit, the judgment of the trial court should be affirmed. I write separately, however, to reiterate my belief that the approach this court adopted in
State v. Geisler,
In the present case, the majority correctly concludes that neither the text of the state constitution, its history, nor our precedent supports the defendant's claim under article first, § 7, of the Connecticut constitution. The majority nevertheless proceeds to consider the case law of other jurisdictions, as well as economic and sociological concerns, which I believe should play no role in our resolution of the defendant's claim. Accordingly, I respectfully concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE of Connecticut v. Donald SATURNO.
- Cited By
- 16 cases
- Status
- Published