In the Int. of: A.A., a Minor Appeal of: A.A.
In the Int. of: A.A., a Minor Appeal of: A.A.
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
JUSTICE DOUGHERTY
We granted discretionary review to resolve inconsistencies between the Superior Court's decisions in Commonwealth v. Kemp ,
On January 9, 2015, Sergeant Christopher Still of the Halifax Area Regional Police Department was on routine patrol, in the area of Market and North 2nd Streets in Halifax, Dauphin County, when he observed a black sedan straddling the yellow center line as it traveled the highway. N.T. 8/6/15 at 4-5. Sergeant Still followed the vehicle and conducted a registration check, which showed the vehicle's registration was expired. Id . at 5. Based on the expired registration, Sergeant Still stopped the vehicle. Id .
*899Sergeant Still identified the driver as seventeen year old A.A. (appellant) and the adult passenger as Kyle Lewis. Id . Although appellant appeared to be confused and sluggish, she provided Sergeant Still with her driver's license and an expired registration card, but failed to provide any proof of financial responsibility. Id . at 5-6. Sergeant Still took the documents back to his patrol car where he began preparing a citation for the expired registration and a warning for the failure to provide proof of financial responsibility. Id . at 6. During this time, Sergeant Still observed Lewis make furtive movements inside the vehicle and briefly open and close the passenger door. Id . Sergeant Still returned to appellant's vehicle and issued the citation and warning, at which time he smelled an odor of marijuana emanating from the interior of the vehicle. Id . at 7. Nevertheless, Sergeant Still "briefly broke contact with [appellant] by bidding her a good night" and stating she was free to go. Id . at 7, 22.
However, Sergeant Still began talking to appellant again.
Sergeant Still proceeded to search the vehicle. He recovered a small pill bottle from the passenger door which contained marijuana residue, the green pill from the driver's seat, and a marijuana pipe from appellant's handbag. Id . at 8-9. Lewis claimed the pill bottle belonged to him and appellant stated the green pill was a Klonopin, she had taken one earlier in the night, and had also smoked marijuana earlier in the night. Id. at 9-10. Following the search, Sergeant Still administered two field sobriety tests to appellant, both of which showed signs of impairment, and he placed her under arrest. Id . at 10-11.
A delinquency petition was filed alleging appellant committed the delinquent acts of DUI - Impaired Ability, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Disregard of Traffic Lanes, and Driving an Unregistered Vehicle.
On appeal to the Superior Court, appellant challenged the denial of her suppression motion and the trial court filed an opinion pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a). Relying on Kemp ,
Appellant argued to the Superior Court that Sergeant Still's actions of bidding her goodnight and breaking contact terminated the initial traffic stop and his re-initiation of contact amounted to a second investigative detention. Relying on the Superior Court's decision in Nguyen ,
The three-judge Superior Court panel concluded it was bound by the en banc decision in Kemp , and thus rejected the limited reasonable suspicion analysis employed by appellant. In Interest of A.A. ,
We accepted review to address the following question raised by appellant: "Whether the Superior Court's reliance on Commonwealth v. Kemp to affirm the trial [c]ourt's denial of [p]etitioner's Motion to Suppress Evidence was in contradiction with the recent holding of a different Superior Court [p]anel, Commonwealth v. Nguyen ?" In Interest of A.A. ,
Appellant argues the Superior Court's holding in this case, most importantly its reliance on Kemp , is in conflict with that court's more recent decision in Nguyen . Appellant suggests this Court should adopt the reasoning of the Nguyen panel rather than that of Kemp and the panel below. Appellant contends the adoption of Nguyen is necessary to protect the rights of motorists and end the deceptive police practice of disengaging and re-engaging in the hope of securing a consent to search, the purpose of which - according to appellant - is to attempt to de-escalate the interaction from an investigative detention to a mere encounter.
In response, the Commonwealth recognizes the conflict between Kemp and Nguyen but submits the analysis in Kemp is not only correct, but also bound the panel below as an en banc decision. The Commonwealth further notes Kemp specifically overruled the decisions in Ortiz and Johnson to the extent "they hold that facts gathered during a valid traffic stop cannot be utilized to justify an investigatory detention occurring after a police officer has indicated that a defendant is free to leave." Kemp ,
The Commonwealth further contends adopting the Nguyen analysis instead of Kemp would make no sense, either practically or legally. Practically, the Commonwealth contends adopting the Nguyen analysis would punish cautious officers, as most officers break contact and re-engage *903only to make sure they are acting in accordance with the law rather than to trick a motorist into consenting to a search. Legally, the Commonwealth argues the Nguyen analysis conflicts with the totality of the circumstances test which is universally used to determine whether an officer possessed reasonable suspicion for an investigative detention. The Commonwealth submits this Court should adopt the Kemp analysis and hold information gathered during an initial traffic stop may be used to justify a continued detention during which consent to search is granted, irrespective of an officer's intervening statement that the driver is "free to go." Essentially, the Commonwealth claims the officer's bidding appellant goodnight did not "break" the investigative detention into two parts, and thus consent to search was given during a legal detention supported by reasonable suspicion obtained earlier in that detention.
We recognize "the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution [protects] the people from unreasonable searches and seizures." Commonwealth v. Lyles ,
Importantly, appellant does not challenge the legality of the initial traffic stop. Instead, she asserts she was subjected to an illegal second investigative detention following Sergeant Still's bidding her goodnight and breaking contact, because that second detention was not based on reasonable suspicion independent of observations made during the initial, completed stop. Appellant claims that, since her consent to search was given during this illegal second detention, her motion to suppress evidence should have been granted. To decide whether the Superior Court erred in affirming the denial of suppression under these circumstances, we must first determine whether consent to search was given during an investigative detention that was supported by a reasonable suspicion appellant was engaged in criminal activity, and against what facts suspicion may be measured.
A police officer may detain an individual in order to conduct an investigation if that officer reasonably suspects that the individual is engaging in criminal conduct. Commonwealth v. Cook ,558 Pa. 50 ,735 A.2d 673 , 676 ( [Pa.] 1999). 'This standard, less stringent than probable cause, is commonly known as reasonable suspicion.' Id . In order to determine whether the police officer had reasonable suspicion, the totality of the circumstances must be considered. In re D.M. ,566 Pa. 445 ,781 A.2d 1161 , 1163 (2001). In making this determination, we must give 'due weight ... to the specific reasonable inferences [the police officer] is entitled to draw from the facts in light of his experience.' Cook ,735 A.2d at 676 , quoting Terry v. Ohio ,392 U.S. 1 , 27,88 S.Ct. 1868 ,20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968). Also, the totality of the circumstances test does not limit our inquiry to an examination of only those facts that clearly indicate criminal conduct. Rather, '[e]ven a combination of innocent facts, when taken together, may warrant further investigation by the police officer.' Cook ,735 A.2d at 676 .
Commonwealth v. Rogers ,
It is clear Sergeant Still obtained reasonable suspicion that appellant was involved in criminal activity during the initial traffic stop - the legality of which has not been challenged - as the odor of marijuana alone, particularly in a moving vehicle, is sufficient to support at least reasonable suspicion, if not the more stringent requirement of probable cause. See United States v. Ventresca ,
In consideration of the question presented, we first review the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Rodriguez v. United States , --- U.S. ----,
The United States Supreme Court vacated the decision of the Court of Appeals, disagreeing with the premise that the violation of Rodriguez's rights was de minimis and holding "a police stop exceeding the time needed to handle the matter for which the stop was made violates the Constitution's shield against unreasonable seizures. A seizure justified only by a police-observed traffic violation, therefore, 'become[s] unlawful if it is prolonged beyond the time reasonably required to complete th[e] mission' of issuing a ticket for the violation." Id . at 1612, quoting Illinois v. Caballes ,
As the Rodriguez Court did not expressly address the situation present here - the detention of a driver following an officer's indication the driver was free to leave - we now turn to Pennsylvania jurisprudence which is more directly on point, beginning with this Court's decision in Freeman . In that case, troopers stopped Freeman's vehicle and another car, after observing the two vehicles traveling closely together, switching lanes, and jockeying for position. Freeman ,
Freeman filed a motion to suppress in which she contended her consent to search was tainted by an illegal detention. Id . The motion was denied and Freeman was convicted of both offenses following a bench trial. Id . On appeal, the Superior Court affirmed the denial of her suppression motion holding Freeman was not subject to a detention at the time she gave the trooper her consent to search the vehicle, as any interaction following the trooper's statement she was free to leave was a mere encounter rather than an investigative detention, and reasonable suspicion was not required to support the legality of that encounter. Id .
This Court accepted review and reversed the Superior Court, stating as follows:
To constitute a valid investigative detention, the seizure must be justified by an articulable, reasonable suspicion that Freeman may have been engaged in criminal activity independent of that supporting her initial lawful detention. The question of whether reasonable suspicion existed at the time of a detention must be answered by examining the totality of the circumstances to determine whether there was a particularized and objective basis for suspecting the detainee of criminal activity. In the present case, however, there are no facts of record indicating that the trooper did possess, or could have possessed, a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity on Freeman's part. While the trooper undoubtedly suspected that Freeman wished to conceal the fact that she was traveling with the other vehicle, such suspicion had been present when he gave Freeman a warning and told her that she was free to go. Nothing had happened after the conclusion of the traffic stop to provide any further cause for suspicion; at most, Freeman's apparent reluctance to drive away may have strengthened the trooper's initial suspicion that the two vehicles were traveling together.
Moreover, even if Freeman's answer to the trooper's question, contradicting as it did the information given by the occupants of the other car, could arguably be viewed as evasive behavior, such behavior was unaccompanied by any other indication of criminal activity. In particular, there was no testimony that the actions of Freeman and her companions were consistent with those of drug dealers or criminals of any other type; that their route was heavily traveled by drug dealers; or, indeed, that the trooper suspected Freeman of drug dealing or of any other specific crime. The noted inconsistency may give rise to an inchoate and unparticularized suspicion or hunch of criminal activity, but not to a reasonable suspicion of the same.
*907Id . at 908 (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). The Court concluded Freeman's consent to search was given during an illegal detention unsupported by an articulable reasonable suspicion she may have been engaged in criminal activity - independent of the traffic violation which supported her initial lawful detention - and suppression should have been granted. Id . at 908-09.
Following this Court's decision in Freeman , the Superior Court decided Kemp . Kemp was the passenger in a vehicle which was stopped by a state trooper for improperly tinted windows. Kemp ,
Kemp filed a motion to suppress in which he contended his consent to search was the product of an illegal detention. Id . The motion was denied and Kemp was convicted following a bench trial. Id . The Superior Court sitting en banc affirmed, holding Kemp was still subject to an investigative detention despite the trooper's return of his driver's license and statement he should "have a nice day." Id . at 1254. The court reasoned the totality of the circumstances, including the trooper's continued questioning of Kemp, established he was not actually free to leave despite the trooper's statement that he was. Id . The court nonetheless held the trooper possessed reasonable suspicion for this continued detention, based in part on all the information garnered during the initial lawful traffic stop, including the smell of air fresheners and marijuana. Id . In making this determination, the court expressly overruled Ortiz and Johnson and held the "totality of the circumstances approach allows the court to consider all facts at the officer's disposal and does not require the court to disregard those adduced during a valid interdiction, which is, in the present case, the traffic stop." Id . at 1258. The Kemp court explained Ortiz 's reliance on Freeman for its contrary conclusion was misplaced:
We do not believe that Freeman's language supports Ortiz's proposition. The Supreme Court in Freeman quite plainly stated that in order to justify a continued *908detention beyond the initial valid detention, which was the traffic stop, police needed reasonable suspicion that the defendant was engaged in criminal activity independent of that initial lawful detention. In other words, once police process the traffic violation, they cannot rely upon the traffic violation to prolong the detention; they need other information supporting reasonable suspicion.
In Freeman, no facts were ascertained during the traffic stop or thereafter to provide reasonable suspicion that the defendant was involved in criminal activity. The Court did not imply that anything discovered during the course of a traffic stop could not be utilized to justify an ensuing investigatory detention. Indeed, the Court actually analyzed what police were told during the traffic stop, which would imply, contrary to the holding in Ortiz, that those facts can be considered in determining whether reasonable suspicion existed for an investigatory detention initiated after a vehicular violation has been processed.
Id . (emphasis in original). The Kemp court concluded the trooper had reasonable suspicion to support the detention during which consent to search was obtained, and suppression was correctly denied. Id . at 1260.
After Kemp , a three-judge panel decided Nguyen . Nguyen was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by state troopers for speeding.
*909Nguyen filed a motion to suppress in which he contended his consent to search was the product of an illegal detention. Id . The motion was denied and he was convicted of PWID following a bench trial. Id . On appeal, the Superior Court reversed the denial of Nguyen's motion to suppress. The panel found the facts surrounding the subsequent interaction, including the trooper's actions being inconsistent with his statement they were free to leave, led to the conclusion Nguyen was subject to a "second seizure." Id . at 667-68. The panel rejected the argument that Nguyen's criminal history could serve as reasonable suspicion to conduct a second detention because the troopers obtained that information during the initial traffic stop. Id . at 668-69. In addition, the panel held the driver's nervous behavior was insufficient, in and of itself, to establish reasonable suspicion for a new investigative detention. Id .
There is a clear and direct conflict between the Superior Court's decisions in Kemp and Nguyen . We note the panel below correctly relied on Kemp as it was a binding en banc decision. See Commonwealth v. Bucknor ,
As stated above, "[i]n order to determine whether the police officer had reasonable suspicion, the totality of the circumstances must be considered." Rogers ,
Although appellant relies on Freeman for her claim she gave consent to search during an illegal second detention, Freeman actually supports an "all relevant facts" and "whole picture" approach, and is otherwise distinguishable from the circumstances presented here. In support of their contrary contention, appellant and her amicus curiae cite the following passage in Freeman : "While the trooper undoubtedly suspected that Freeman wished to conceal the fact that she was traveling with the other vehicle, such suspicion had been present when he gave Freeman a warning and told her that she was free to go. Nothing had happened after the conclusion of the traffic stop to provide any further cause for suspicion[.]" Freeman ,
The Freeman Court recognized that, in order to be a valid investigative detention during which consent to search might be properly obtained, "the seizure must be justified by an articulable, reasonable suspicion that Freeman may have been engaged in criminal activity independent of that supporting her initial detention " (the reason she was pulled over in the first place) and this question must be answered "by examining the totality of the circumstances [.]" Freeman ,
Accordingly, we confirm that "all relevant facts" and the "whole picture" necessarily includes any information learned by a police officer during an initial lawful traffic stop, irrespective of whether or not the officer suggests at some point during that stop that the subject of the stop is free to leave or tells him or her to "have a good night." Unlike in Freeman , here it is clear based on the totality of circumstances derived from the initial stop - which included the odor of marijuana noted by Sergeant Still along with his observations of appellant's sluggish and confused appearance and Lewis's furtive movements - that he had reasonable suspicion to conduct a second detention of appellant. Accordingly, we hold appellant consented to the vehicle search during a legal investigative detention, and suppression of the evidence discovered during that search was not warranted.
Order affirmed.
Chief Justice Saylor and Justices Todd and Mundy join the opinion.
Justice Baer files a concurring opinion in which Justice Donohue joins.
Justice Wecht did not participate in the consideration or decision of this case.
*911CONCURRING OPINION
The record does not reveal how much time elapsed between the time Sergeant Still "briefly broke contact" with appellant and then re-engaged her in conversation, nor does it specify how far from appellant's vehicle he had traveled before beginning to talk with her again.
75 Pa.C.S. § 3802(d)(2), 35 P.S. § 780-113(a)(16), (32), 75 Pa.C.S. § 3309(1), and 75 Pa.C.S. § 1301(a), respectively.
75 Pa.C.S § 3802(d)(1).
As we discuss in more detail infra , the en banc panel in Kemp held that, when determining whether reasonable suspicion exists, a court may look to the totality of the circumstances to "consider all facts at the officer's disposal and does not require the court to disregard those adduced during a valid interdiction, which is, in the present case, the [initial] traffic stop."
The Nguyen panel held information learned during an initial traffic stop cannot serve as the basis of reasonable suspicion for a secondary detention.
The majority opinion by President Judge Emeritus John T. Bender was joined by President Judge Emeritus Kate Ford Elliot. President Judge Emeritus Correale Stevens authored a concurring opinion in which he agreed the second detention was legal and noted the majority's discussion of Nguyen was unwarranted because the panel was bound to follow the en banc decision in Kemp . A.A. ,
In other cases including Nguyen , for example, the officers testified they broke contact with the subject of a traffic stop and then re-engaged that subject with the intent of turning the investigatory detention into a mere encounter. See Nguyen ,
The parties and amicus curiae refer to a common perception among police officers that this practice of breaking off contact and then re-engaging with a driver automatically transforms the interaction from what was initially an investigative detention (the traffic stop) into a new mere encounter, and thus negates the requirement of reasonable suspicion for the new interaction during which consent to search might be obtained, but our case law does not support such a view. See, e.g. , Commonwealth v. Freeman ,
The Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (PACDL) filed an amicus curiae brief supporting appellant in which it contends the police practice of stop, warn, and re-engage directly violates Article I, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. PACDL further argues the Superior Court's decision in this case is contrary to Freeman , which it claims stands for the proposition there is no justification for re-engaging a motorist following the conclusion of a traffic stop based on facts obtained during that initial stop. PACDL continues, even if Freeman does not directly control the question posed here, this Court should adopt a bright line rule ending the stop, warn, and re-engage police tactic.
Until its brief in this Court, the Commonwealth consistently referred to the period of re-engagement as a "second" detention, as have appellant and the courts below, and this Court in Freeman . See Commonwealth's Superior Court Brief at 9 (referring to re-engagement as "second interaction"); Appellant's Brief at 27 (referring to re-engagement as "subsequent investigatory detention"); Trial Court Opinion, op. at 901 (referring to re-engagement as "investigative detention" following a lawful traffic stop); A.A. ,
As will be seen infra , under the specific circumstances of this case, the semantic distinction between a "second" or "continued" detention is immaterial to our analysis, which is premised upon a consideration of a totality of the circumstances. See also Rodriguez v. United States , --- U.S. ----,
Although appellant claims she is bringing this appeal under Article I, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, Appellant's Brief at 10, she does not forward any argument that our Constitution provides greater protections than its federal counterpart in this context. Additionally, the cases proffered by appellant in support of her argument were all decided under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. As such, we review this matter by conducting an analysis of relevant Fourth Amendment jurisprudence.
We are aware the Kemp court did not distinguish between a "first" and "second" detention, but rather viewed the encounter as "continuing" even after the officer ostensibly indicated Kemp was free to go. The Kemp court did not explain its use of different wording than that used in Freeman , but we note the two cases were factually distinct. The entire interaction between the trooper and Kemp, including the suggestion he could leave and the subsequent re-engagement, occurred while he stood outside the vehicle. Kemp ,
To the extent the Superior Court's decision in Nguyen holds police officers may not use information gathered during an initial traffic stop to justify a second detention, that decision is now specifically overruled.
Concurring Opinion
As I understand the Majority Opinion, it can be read to hold that a trial court must examine the totality of the circumstances when deciding, as a matter of law, whether a police officer subjected a defendant to one or two interactions for constitutional purposes.
In this regard, the Majority does not find that Sergeant Still subjected A.A. to a single, continuous legal detention but, rather, validates the situation as two legal detentions of A.A. Id. at 21 (providing that "it is clear based on the totality of circumstances derived from the initial stop - which included the odor of marijuana noted by Sergeant Still along with his observations of appellant's sluggish and confused appearance and Lewis's furtive movements - that he had reasonable suspicion to conduct a second detention of appellant"). In my view, concluding that there were two separate detentions of A.A. would alter the legal analysis and, at least arguably, would support A.A.'s claim that suppression was warranted because the second detention was illegal.
Instead of describing the circumstances underlying this appeal as encompassing two separate detentions, I would apply the above-stated principles of law to the facts presented and conclude that what occurred here was one, continuous legal seizure of A.A. that resulted in her voluntarily providing consent to search the vehicle. Specifically, it is undisputed that Sergeant Still had probable cause to stop A.A.'s vehicle and detain her for purposes of issuing a traffic citation. The record clearly establishes that, during that legal stop, Sergeant Still, inter alia , "smelled an odor of marijuana coming from the interior of the vehicle." N.T., 8/6/2015, at 7. Thus, at that point, Sergeant Still had, at the very least, reasonable suspicion to believe that A.A. was engaged in illegal conduct. Consequently, he had the requisite suspicion to continue the seizure past its original purpose. See Rodriguez v. United States , --- U.S. ----,
That Sergeant Still "broke contact" with and said goodnight to A.A. after he issued to her the traffic citation has no impact on the legality of the seizure, as the record demonstrates that the length of time the sergeant broke contact with A.A. was fleeting. See , e.g. , N.T., 8/6/2015, at 7 (stating that Sergeant Still "briefly broke contact with [A.A.] by bidding her good night"). In other words, viewing the totality of the circumstances, Sergeant Still subjected A.A. to one, continuous seizure that was supported by the requisite levels of suspicion throughout. Having reached these conclusions, like the Majority, I would affirm the Superior Court's judgment, which affirmed the juvenile court's dispositional order.
Justice Donohue joins this concurring opinion.
As the Majority accurately explains, there are traditionally three categories of interactions between police and private citizens: mere encounters, investigative detentions, and arrests or custodial detentions. Majority Opinion at 903-04. A mere encounter has been described as a police officer's request for information that does not need to be supported by any level of suspicion and that does not require the citizen to stop or respond. Commonwealth v. Smith ,
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