United States v. Romero
Concurring in Part
I would affirm the district court's decision. I would hold that Officer Dollar had reasonable suspicion Romero was armed and dangerous and could therefore perform a protective pat-down search of Romero's outer clothing. Officer Dollar had reasonable suspicion of burglary and observed a knife clip at Romero's hip, which constitutes more than sufficient facts to satisfy the Terry standard.
I would also hold that Officer Dollar had probable cause to arrest Romero for resisting. Romero did not comply with multiple orders from Officer Dollar until the officer threatened to tase him-and even then did not comply fully with perfectly reasonable commands. We cannot require more than do the New Mexico courts, and Romero's actions prove sufficient to support probable cause under a recent decision from the New Mexico Court of Appeals. See New Mexico v. Jimenez ,
I. Protective Frisk
The majority assumes without deciding that Officer Dollar had reasonable suspicion to perform a protective frisk. Because I would not reverse the district court's probable cause determination regarding Romero's arrest, I would reach the Terry frisk issue and hold that Officer Dollar reasonably ordered Romero to submit to a pat-down search of his outer clothing. I would clarify that even if the officer were investigating mere vandalism or theft, as Officer Dollar testified, he could have reasonably suspected Romero was dangerous. I also stress that we should not consider the requirements of a protective frisk-that (1) criminal activity be afoot and (2) the individual be armed and (3) dangerous-in a vacuum and as wholly independent elements. Each element informs and reinforces the others.
Romero conceded below that Officer Dollar initially had reasonable suspicion to investigate him for burglary. The district court relied heavily on that fact. The court reasoned that burglary is the "type of offense[ ] that would support reasonable suspicion that person may be armed and dangerous" because "burglary is 'a crime normally and reasonably expected to involve a weapon.' " United States v. Romero , Cr. No. 17-2190,
Then Romero changed course before us at oral argument, noting that Officer Dollar never asserted he was investigating Romero for burglary. The officer knew only that churches in the area had been vandalized and items stolen, so he had questioned Romero on suspicion of vandalism *1133or theft. Oral Arg. at 3:50-4:10. The United States, according to Romero's counsel, inserted suspicion of burglary into the proceedings, and the district court accepted that characterization.
Romero forfeited his challenge to the district court's determination that Officer Dollar had reasonable suspicion to investigate Romero for burglary by conceding that argument below and in the briefing before this court. But Romero continues to maintain that even if Officer Dollar had reason to suspect him of burglary the officer did not have reasonable suspicion to frisk him for weapons because Officer Dollar had no evidence Romero was dangerous. The officer merely suspected him of burglary and observed a knife clip.
Yet both of Romero's arguments misapply Supreme Court case law in the area. We do not analyze dangerousness separately from suspicion of criminality and possession of a weapon. And officers do not need to be investigating a violence-prone crime for a presumption of dangerousness to arise.
The analysis is governed by Terry v. Ohio ,
We need look no further than the facts of Terry and later Supreme Court cases to determine what constitutes reasonable suspicion that an individual suspected of criminal activity is armed and dangerous. The Terry Court upheld a protective pat-down when a police officer observed two men suspiciously peering into the windows of several businesses. In light of his experience, the officer suspected the men of planning a robbery. He frisked the men upon receiving only mumbled responses to his initial inquiries.
Thus, one reading of Terry could require officers to be investigating a potentially violent crime-or observe some other indicia of dangerousness-before concluding a suspect is dangerous. But the Supreme Court has flatly rejected such a cabined reading. Over the course of the next two decades, the Court upheld two Terry frisks where police were investigating non-violent or routine matters.
*1134The Court first decided a case where "officers stopped [a] vehicle for the purpose of issuing a traffic summons." Pennsylvania v. Mimms ,
Later the Court upheld a frisk when officers stopped to investigate a vehicle that had swerved into a ditch. Michigan v. Long ,
The combined teaching of these cases is, first, police must have reasonable suspicion that "criminal activity may be afoot." Terry ,
Second, police need not be investigating a potentially violent crime, or one typically involving weapons, to develop reasonable suspicion that a person may be presently dangerous. The Supreme Court in Mimms and Long held that officers could perform a protective pat-down despite the non-violent or routine nature of the crimes for which the officers were investigating the suspects. But the cases also suggest that when investigating routine, non-violent crimes, police must point to specific and articulable facts suggesting the suspect is armed or otherwise dangerous.
And third, we do not analyze the Terry prongs wholly independently and in a vacuum. When officers have reasonable suspicion a suspect is armed-even when investigating routine or non-violent crimes-those same facts may give rise to reasonable suspicion the suspect is presently dangerous. This is explicit in Mimms . The Court stated simply, "The bulge in the jacket permitted the officer to conclude that Mimms was armed and thus posed a serious and present danger to the safety of the officer."
The officers in Mimms and Long presented no evidence beyond reasonable suspicion of criminal activity and of the suspect being armed to conclude the suspect might be dangerous. The officers did not know the suspects' criminal history. They did not observe any violent behavior. They were investigating crimes that typically do not involve weapons. The officers simply observed a weapon or a suspicious bulge and, in the course of their investigation, made a "quick decision as to how to protect [themselves] and others from possible danger." Long ,
These quick decisions certainly will result in officers frisking many individuals who are not in any way dangerous to officers on the scene. But the reasonable suspicion standard allows for just such a result. Reasonable suspicion, after all, "is not, and is not meant to be, an onerous standard." United States v. Petit ,
The Fourth Amendment's prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures, therefore, entitles an officer to frisk a potentially armed suspect for weapons, regardless of the nature of the investigation, because a Terry stop "involves a police investigation 'at close range.' " Long ,
Officer Dollar did not offend these principles when he attempted to frisk Romero for weapons. This remains true even if Officer Dollar was investigating mere vandalism or theft at the church. The officer observed Romero peering through the window of a church when no church services were being held, and Officer Dollar was aware of recent reports of vandalism and theft at nearby churches. The officer undoubtedly had reasonable suspicion to investigate further. And when, as the district court found, Officer Dollar approached Romero, he "saw what looked like a knife pocket clip on Mr. Romero's hip and a bulge on Mr. Romero's arm that could have been a knife." Romero ,
Romero's response and actions certainly provided the officer reasonable suspicion Romero "was armed and thus posed a serious and present danger to the safety of the officer." Mimms ,
I would therefore conclude Officer Dollar had reasonable suspicion to perform a protective pat-down search of Romero's outer clothing.
II. Resisting Arrest
The majority also concludes Romero did not resist a peace officer within the meaning of N.M. Stat. § 30-22-1(D) because his conduct was insufficiently evasive. But the New Mexico Court of Appeals has defined the offense in broader terms than the majority concludes. See Jimenez ,
In Jimenez , the defendant resisted officer commands when he holed up in a club with a gun and told police he wanted them to shoot him. A SWAT team eventually apprehended Jimenez, and he was charged with "evading" an officer under § 30-22-1(B).
While the court was primarily interpreting subsection (B), it nonetheless concluded that resisting under subsection (D) "refers not only to a defendant's overt physical act, but also to the failure to act when refusing to obey lawful police commands."
Our inquiry should therefore focus on whether Romero's failure to act when Officer Dollar ordered him to (1) put down his phone and water bottle, and (2) put his hands on the wall rises to the level of attempting "to challenge or forestall" his impending pat-down by "refusing to comply with orders." See
*1137Officer Dollar initiated the encounter in a friendly manner, but the situation quickly escalated. After the officer saw Romero's knife clip, he stated calmly, "Set that down," referring to the cell phone and water bottle Romero held, "Let me pat you down real quick." Romero ,
Romero again protested, asking exasperatedly, "Are you going to give me a ticket or what?"
And still Romero did not comply with Officer Dollar's order to submit to a protective pat-down. He continued to argue. When the officer ordered "Put your hands on the wall," Romero tried to take his backpack off.
We cannot choose which test to apply when we have a published opinion from the New Mexico courts interpreting New Mexico law. And Romero's actions prove sufficient under the test set forth in Jimenez .
* * *
I would affirm the district court on both issues. Officer Dollar was entitled to perform a protective pat-down of Romero's *1138outer clothing when he spotted a knife clip at Romero's hip. And he had probable cause to arrest Romero for resisting an officer under New Mexico law when Romero chose to challenge the officer's decision to pat him down and refused to comply with multiple direct and indirect orders.
I therefore dissent.
The majority also relies on this court's decision in Keylon v. City of Albuquerque ,
Opinion of the Court
Manuel Romero was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm under
I. BACKGROUND
In reviewing a district court's ruling on a motion to suppress evidence, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the prevailing party and "accept the district court's findings of fact unless they are clearly erroneous." United States v. Hernandez,
On Friday, April 29, 2017, Officer Matthew Dollar was on patrol in Las Cruces, New Mexico. At approximately 5:30 p.m., Officer Dollar drove past a church where he observed Romero standing at the front entry, peering into the window. Because he passed by it often on patrol, Officer Dollar knew that the church did not hold services at that time. Additionally, several days earlier, Officer Dollar learned that there had been reports of theft and vandalism occurring at other churches in the area. Given his observations of Romero and knowledge of the vandalism, Officer Dollar drove into the church parking lot to investigate.
Upon arriving, Officer Dollar observed Romero crouching down to fill up a water bottle from the outdoor hose connected to the church. He also noticed that Romero had a "pocket clip" for a folding pocket knife on his waist band near his right hip and a "linear bulge" on his right bicep that Dollar suspected was another knife. ROA Vol. I at 33-34. Officer Dollar's body-worn camera recorded the following exchange between him and Romero.
Officer Dollar: Police Department. Hey, what's up man? How are you?
Mr. Romero: Pretty good.
Officer Dollar: What's going on?
Mr. Romero: I'm getting some water and charging my phone. [Romero gestures to the cellphone and water bottle that he is holding, one in each hand.]1
Officer Dollar: What's that?
Mr. Romero: I'm getting some water and trying to charge my phone.
Officer Dollar: You don't have any weapons or anything on you, do you?
Mr. Romero: No, I got a --. [Romero gestures to the pocket clip on his waistband.]
Officer Dollar: Don't reach for it. [Romero immediately lifts both hands up to chest level.]
Mr. Romero: Okay.
Officer Dollar: Set that down. Let me pat you down real quick.
Mr. Romero: Oh, man. Why?
Officer Dollar: Listen to me. This can go smoothly or it can go rough for you. I suggest that you go with what I'm asking you, alright, or I'll charge you with resisting, obstructing. It's your choice.
Mr. Romero: Are you going to give me a ticket or what?
Officer Dollar: I'm going to put you in handcuffs and take you to jail --
Romero: I don't want to go to jail.
[At this point in the encounter, Officer Dollar drew his taser and pointed it at Mr. Romero.]
Officer Dollar: --or we can go this route. Put it down. [Romero sets his cell phone and water bottle on the ground.]
Officer Dollar: Put your hands on the wall.
Mr. Romero: Can I take this off? [Gesturing to drawstring backpack.]
Officer Dollar: No, don't reach for anything.
Mr. Romero: Ah, man. Why do you want to (unintelligible)?
*1127Officer Dollar: Hey, you're at a church. You don't belong here right now. Okay? It can go one of two ways.
Mr. Romero: Why do you want to take me to jail?
Officer Dollar: You can go to the ground or you can comply. [Romero begins slowly lowering his body to the ground.]
Mr. Romero: Please don't tase me.
Officer Dollar: Go to the ground.
Mr. Romero: I don't want to go to get tased [sic].
Dist. Ct. Op. at ----.
As noted above, when Officer Dollar pointed his taser at Romero and said "put it down," Romero put the cell phone and water bottle that he was holding on the ground. Then, Officer Dollar immediately directed Romero to put his hands on the wall. Romero responded promptly by turning toward the church wall. After a few more exchanges, Officer Dollar says to Romero, "You can go to the ground."
As a result, the government charged Romero with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm under
II. DISCUSSION
Romero appeals the district court's reasonable suspicion and probable cause determinations as well as its alternate conclusion that Officer Dollar made a reasonable mistake of law. We assume without deciding that Officer Dollar conducted a lawful Terry frisk. However, even so, we agree with Romero that Officer Dollar lacked probable cause to arrest him for violating N.M. Stat. § 30-22-1(D). Furthermore, we reverse the district court's alternate mistake of law conclusion.
A. No probable cause to arrest
We first consider whether Officer Dollar had probable cause to arrest Romero for violating section 30-22-1(D) in order to justify conducting a search incident to that arrest. The Fourth 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." In general, warrantless searches and *1128seizures are per se unreasonable, Katz v. United States,
We review a district court's probable cause determination "de novo," but we "review findings of historical fact only for clear error and ... give due weight to inferences drawn from those facts by resident judges and local law enforcement officers." Ornelas v. United States,
We have held that an officer has probable cause to arrest if, under the totality of the circumstances, he learned of facts "that would lead a reasonable person to believe that an offense has been or is being committed by the person arrested. Probable cause does not require facts sufficient for a finding of guilt; however, it does require more than mere suspicion." United States v. Morris,
Officer Dollar arrested Romero for resisting an officer in violation of N.M. Stat. § 30-22-1(D), which forbids "[r]esisting, evading or obstructing an officer" by, inter alia, "resisting or abusing any judge, magistrate or peace officer in the lawful discharge of his duties." The New Mexico Court of Appeals has so far interpreted the phrase "resisting or abusing" in section 30-22-1(D) to prohibit three types of conduct: (1) "physical acts of resistance," State v. Wade,
The district court concluded that,
[b]ecause Mr. Romero did not comply with Officer Dollar's orders to place his water bottle, cell phone, and cell phone charger on the ground, and place his hands on the wall, Officer Dollar had probable cause to arrest Mr. Romero for refusing to comply with a lawful order in violation of Section 30-22-1(D).
*1129Dist. Ct. Op. at ---- (emphasis added). Consistent with that conclusion, the government does not argue that Romero either physically resisted Officer Dollar or used fighting words to attack him. The government asserts only that Romero violated section 30-22-1(D) by refusing to obey Officer Dollar's commands. Based on the facts found by the district court that are supported by substantial evidence and the evidence in the record before us, we conclude that Romero did not refuse to obey Officer Dollar's commands in any way that could constitute unlawful "resistance" under section 30-22-1(D).
New Mexico and Tenth Circuit cases provide only a few examples of what it means to refuse to obey lawful police commands in violation of section 30-22-1(D). However, in each relevant case where a defendant is found to have unlawfully resisted an officer, the commands given by the officer are clear and repeated, the defendant is given a reasonable opportunity to comply with the commands under the circumstances, and the defendant nonetheless overtly refuses to comply. For example, in Diaz, the New Mexico Court of Appeals held that the defendant unlawfully resisted police under section 30-22-1(D) when he refused to drop a knife that he was holding despite being "repeatedly ordered" to do so by the police.
Then, in City of Roswell v. Smith, the New Mexico Court of Appeals held that a defendant who refused to leave a Denny's restaurant parking lot after being repeatedly instructed by several police officers to do so unlawfully resisted an officer in violation of a city ordinance identical to section 30-22-1(D).
Finally, in Storey v. Taylor, a police officer responding to a domestic violence call at the defendant's home asked the defendant six times to "step out of the house," and the defendant verbally refused to comply each time:
Officer: Sir, step out of the house.
Defendant: No.
Officer: Step out of the house.
Defendant: I'm not doing it.
Officer: You're going to step out of the house.
Defendant: No.
Officer: Listen. You shall obey my command and step outside the house or you go to jail. Step outside.
Defendant: I am not doing that.
Officer: Step out of the house.
Defendant: Why are you doing this?
Officer: You are going to comply with a lawful order. You don't want to deal with this, you can go to jail.
*1130
In contrast with the above cases, in Keylon v. Albuquerque, the Tenth Circuit held that the defendant did not unlawfully resist an officer under section 30-22-1(D) when she declined to provide her identification to a police officer when asked for it.
Given these background cases, Romero's conduct would not lead a reasonable person-a prudent, cautious, trained police officer-to believe that Romero was resisting in violation of section 30-22-1(D). Romero complied with Officer Dollar's instructions during their conversation, only fifty seconds of which is relevant to this probable cause analysis. During that brief encounter, Officer Dollar issued five clear instructions to Romero: (1) "[d]on't reach for it," (2) "[s]et that down," (3) "[l]et me pat you down," (4) "[p]ut your hands on the wall," and (5) "[g]o to the ground." Dist. Ct. Op. at ----. Romero complied with all of those commands except for the instruction that he put his hands on the wall, which became moot when Officer Dollar subsequently commanded Romero instead to go to the ground.
First, Officer Dollar said, "[d]on't reach for it," referring to Romero's belt. Romero immediately raised both hands up near his face. Supp. R. Vol. I at 1:01-02. Then, Officer Dollar commanded, "Set that down. Let me pat you down real quick."
Officer Dollar: Listen to me. This can go smoothly or it can go rough for you. I suggest that you go with what I'm asking you, alright, or I'll charge you with resisting, obstructing. It's your choice.
Romero: Are you going to give me a ticket or what?
*1131Officer Dollar: I'm going to put you in handcuffs and take you to jail--
Romero: I don't want to go to jail.
[At this point in the encounter, Dollar drew his taser and pointed it at Romero.]
Officer Dollar: --or we can go this route. Put it down. Put your hands on the wall.
Unlike the culpable defendants in the cases above, Romero did not physically retreat from Dollar nor aggressively approach him nor verbally refuse to comply with his directives. He stood next to the church hose where he was first approached throughout the conversation and directly answered all of the questions that he was asked.
B. No reasonable mistake of law
Finally, any mistake of law by Officer Dollar was not reasonable. The Supreme Court has held that "reasonable suspicion can rest on a mistaken understanding of the scope of a legal prohibition." Heien v. North Carolina,
First, the Heien majority stressed that "[t]he Fourth Amendment tolerates only reasonable mistakes," id. at 539 (emphasis in original), and the concurrence explained that the laws that might be amenable to such mistakes of law are "genuinely ambiguous" and "pose[ ] a quite difficult question of interpretation" that involves "hard interpretive work," id. at 541-42 (Kagan, J., concurring). One panel of our court has held that "an officer's mistake of law may be reasonable if the law is ambiguous (reasonable minds could differ on the interpretation) and it has never been previously construed by the relevant courts." United States v. Cunningham,
However, as detailed above, section 30-22-1(D) has been interpreted several times by the New Mexico Court of Appeals. The only potentially ambiguous language in section 30-22-1(D) is the phrase "resisting or abusing," and the New Mexico Court of *1132Appeals has clarified that language by explaining that "resisting or abusing" can refer to an arrestee's overt physical act, use of fighting words, or refusal to obey lawful police commands. See Diaz,
III. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, we REVERSE the district court's denial of Romero's motion to suppress and REMAND this case to the district court for further proceedings.
The descriptions in brackets come from our observation of the video evidence filed as Supp. R. Vol. I. The verbal exchange is identical to that noted in the district court's opinion.
Officer Dollar: Police Department. Hey, what's up man? How are you?
Romero: Pretty good.
Officer Dollar: What's going on?
Romero: I'm getting some water and charging my phone.
Officer Dollar: You don't have any weapons or anything on you, do you?
Romero: No, I got a --.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES v. Manuel ROMERO, Jr.
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published