Highlights of This Issue

United States Supreme Court Action

• No Liability for Police Officer's Use of Push Bumper to Terminate High Speed Pursuit; High Court Emphasizes the Evidentiary Value of Videotaping Police Pursuits to Prevent Liability

Federal and State Decisions

• Arrest, Search and Seizure Issues: probable cause for warrantless arrest; effect of violation of state law; GPS tracking devices; what constitutes a search; parolee searches; girlfriend's house; inventory search of impounded vehicles; standard police rocedures; closed containers; computer search; wife's apparent authority to give consent; emergency search doctrine; house sweeps; right to privacy; notebook; traffic stop; officer safety; how to deal with handicapped passenger; stop and frisk; use of handcuffs; scope; glasses cases; drawn guns; reaching inside suspect's underwear to obtain drugs
• Interrogation Issues: what constitutes Miranda custody and interrogation; adequacy of warnings; failure to use exact Miranda language concerning right to counsel; effect of two-step interrogation techniques; adequacy of waiver; mentally retarded juvenile; public safety exception; officer safety; fruit of the poisonous tree; admissibility of physical evidence such as fingerprints
• Crimes, Evidence, Defense Issues: police officer assault; making victim touch officer's penis; possession of handgun; order of protection; larceny; what constitutes theft from person; identification evidence; use of bank surveillance photos; entrapment; predisposition issue; use of police informer
• Trial Procedure Issues: police defendant; sentence; danger in prison; police witness; improper hearsay testimony; police officer's testimony identifying defendant on audio and video tapes
• Civil Liability/Personnel Law Issues: false arrest; swearing by speaker at public meeting; arrest based on information from store employees; deadly force; arrestee's access to police gun; municipal liability for deputy sheriff injury by prisoner; failure to arrest drunk drivers; harassment of citizens by enhanced surveillance; police free speech; allegations that chief was drunk on duty

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