search and seizure
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Divided 10th Circuit takes no issue with surprise police encounter with suspect
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Police officers who unexpectedly encountered a Durango-area man while they were preparing to search his nearby home did not commit a constitutional violation by seizing his phone during the ensuing traffic stop, the Denver-based federal appeals court ruled last week. Kalub Sean Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography and received a…
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Colorado Supreme Court concerned about police overreach in interrogations
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Some members of the Colorado Supreme Court appeared hesitant on Tuesday to endorse the ability of police to interrogate a suspect after they have obtained a court order authorizing only the collection of physical evidence. Under Colorado’s criminal rules, law enforcement may obtain an order for “nontestimonial identification,” allowing them to pursue a person’s fingerprints, blood specimen,…
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10th Circuit provides guidance on police searches of cloud-based data
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The Denver-based federal appeals court provided guidance to law enforcement agencies on Monday for ensuring that searches of cloud-based accounts comply with the Fourth Amendment’s requirements. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit noted that a search of information stored in the cloud is “categorically different” from searching an…
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Federal judge finds no constitutional violation by Huerfano County well inspectors
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A federal judge concluded last month that two Huerfano County employees did not engage in an unconstitutional search when they approached the plaintiffs’ camper within 40 feet to investigate a potential code violation. In July 2021, the county’s building inspector, Terry Sandoval, received a complaint about improper well construction on property designated for agricultural use.…
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Federal judge blocks evidence from Aurora police’s unconstitutional search
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A federal judge ruled last month that prosecutors cannot use firearm evidence against a defendant because Aurora police searched him without having any reasonable basis to believe he was armed and dangerous. In evaluating the constitutionality of the search, U.S. District Court Senior Judge William J. Martínez noted that police officers were called to a…
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‘Beware!’ 10th Circuit judge calls for full-court review of precedent on police searches without arrest
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The Colorado-based federal appeals court green-lit an unreasonable search claim against a Denver police officer on Tuesday, while one judge called for full-court reconsideration of a 44-year-old precedent limiting law enforcement’s ability to search suspects even when probable cause exists to arrest them. William Montgomery’s lawsuit against Officer Armando Cruz featured several unusual developments, but…
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10th Circuit rules Greeley officer unconstitutionally detained man standing outside home
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The Denver-based federal appeals court concluded last week that a Greeley police officer lacked reasonable suspicion to detain a man who was standing outside the door of a residence and not engaging in any indicators of criminal activity. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit noted that the U.S.…
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10th Circuit finds Denver officers unconstitutionally searched man
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The Colorado-based federal appeals court concluded last week that Denver officers lacked reasonable suspicion when they detained a group of people who happened to park on a public street near a vehicle used by a shooter 12 hours prior and several miles away. Prosecutors indicted one member of the group, Noah Huerta, for being a…
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Divided appeals court upholds convictions despite ‘troubling and unfair’ contradictory police testimony
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Colorado’s second-highest court upheld a man’s convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm on Thursday, even as the majority acknowledged it was potentially unfair that a Denver officer testified to a different sequence of events at trial than earlier in the case. Matthew Torres attempted to exclude from trial the evidence of a handgun in…
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Appeals court finds Wheat Ridge officer lacked probable cause to arrest defendant
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Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday concluded a Wheat Ridge officer lacked probable cause to arrest a man because the information suggesting criminal activity was too minimal to act upon. Corporal Jeremy Schmitz was patrolling a truck stop off of Interstate 70 when he encountered a Toyota 4Runner that a database identified as stolen. The vehicle…