Bumpers v. Cleveland

653 F. Supp. 2d 1202, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79176, 2009 WL 2843346
CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedAugust 28, 2009
Docket2:08-cr-00283
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 653 F. Supp. 2d 1202 (Bumpers v. Cleveland) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bumpers v. Cleveland, 653 F. Supp. 2d 1202, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79176, 2009 WL 2843346 (D. Utah 2009).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER

CLARK WADDOUPS, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

This matter is before the court on Defendant Adam Cleveland’s (“Trooper Cleveland”) Motion for Summary Judgment. Trooper Cleveland 1 stopped Plaintiff Floyd Bumpers for allegedly following another vehicle too closely and for possibly having a broken windshield. Bumpers asserts that Trooper Cleveland conducted an unlawful search and seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment and the due process and equal protection rights of the Fourteenth Amendment. Trooper Cleveland asserts he is entitled to qualified immunity because he operated within the scope of his employment as a Utah Highway Patrol Officer when he stopped Bumpers. After due consideration of the memoranda, documents, oral argument, and the facts and law relevant to this matter, the court grants in part and denies in part Trooper Cleveland’s Motion for Summary Judgment.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The Initial Traffic Stop

Bumpers is a 66-year-old African-American man. On June 12, 2007, he was traveling northbound on Interstate 15 in southern Utah when Trooper Cleveland pulled him over. Trooper Cleveland testified in deposition that prior to pulling Bumpers over he was facing southbound and had just completed a traffic stop of another vehicle. 2 He then did a U-turn in the median and started traveling northbound at approximately 10:16 a.m. 3 He testified he never saw Bumpers prior to making the U-turn. 4

At 10:17:05 a.m., Trooper Cleveland activated his dashboard videotape recorder and recorded footage for two seconds. The footage shows a semi-truck and vehicle at a great distance ahead of Trooper Cleveland. 5 At 10:18:24, Trooper Cleveland reactivated the recorder. This recording begins with Trooper Cleveland narrating that a vehicle was starting to get too close to a semi-truck again, and that “just a minute ago” before he activated the recorder, the vehicle was traveling too close to the semi. 6 The recording then *1205 shows Trooper Cleveland following Bumpers for approximately twenty-five seconds. During that time, Trooper Cleveland further stated on the recording that it looked like Bumpers’ windshield might be cracked and that Bumpers was starting to get too close to the semi-truck again. 7 At that point, Trooper Cleveland initiated a traffic stop.

Trooper Cleveland informed Bumpers that he had pulled him over because he was following too closely. 8 Bumpers responded that he did not realize he had done so. 9 Trooper Cleveland then questioned Bumpers and learned that Bumpers was a resident of Iowa and was traveling home after visiting relatives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Trooper Cleveland questioned Bumpers for approximately two minutes about his travel plans, including where he was headed, where he had come from, the length of his trip, where he had stayed, the location of where he had stayed, which of his family members he had visited, and his prior trips to Las Vegas. 10

After questioning Bumpers, Trooper Cleveland returned to his patrol car to verify Bumpers’ driver license and registration and check whether Bumpers had any prior criminal history. After completing the background check, and finding nothing of concern, Trooper Cleveland returned to Bumpers’ vehicle and asked him to step out of it. 11 When Bumpers did so, Trooper Cleveland returned Bumpers’ documents to him and informed him that he was issuing a warning rather than a citation. 12 Bumpers stated that in forty-plus years he had never been pulled over for following too closely. 13 Trooper Cleveland wished him a safe trip and Bumpers took a step back towards his vehicle. 14 At that point, Trooper Cleveland asked him if he could ask him more questions. 15 Bumpers responded “Sure.” 16

The Continued Questioning

Trooper Cleveland began again asking Bumpers about his travel plans, the nursing home where his mother was living, and why Bumpers had stayed at a hotel rather than with his family. 17 He then asked if Bumpers was carrying anything illegal in his vehicle. Additionally, he asked him if he was carrying large amounts of currency, weapons, explosives, illegal drugs, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, etc. 18 After Bumpers responded “No” to each question, Trooper Cleveland asked if he could search his car. 19

Bumpers said ‘Why do you think — May I show you something — Sometimes people think my eyes — I have glaucoma.” 20 Bumpers then extracted a card from his wallet to show Trooper Cleveland that his eyes were red due to glaucoma 21 Trooper Cleveland responded “I am not worried about your eyes.” 22

The following exchange then occurred:

*1206 Trooper Cleveland: Can I search yonr car?
Bumpers: I would prefer you didn’t. Trooper Cleveland: Can I search it, though?
Bumpers: I would prefer you didn’t. Trooper Cleveland: Okay, but I am asking you, can I search your car? Bumpers: (muffled response)
Trooper Cleveland: No? If no say “No.” Bumpers: No.
Trooper Cleveland: What I am going to try to do is get a K-9 to come up here then to do a sniff of your vehicle. 23

Once Trooper Cleveland said he was going to call in a K-9 unit, Bumpers offered to show Trooper Cleveland his prescription medication before he called the K-9 unit. 24 After asking him several questions about the prescription medication, Trooper Cleveland then asked Bumpers why he would not allow him to search his vehicle. 25 Bumpers replied he had always said “No.” 26 Trooper Cleveland then reconfirmed that Bumpers’ answer was still “No” regarding permission to search. 27

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Bluebook (online)
653 F. Supp. 2d 1202, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79176, 2009 WL 2843346, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bumpers-v-cleveland-utd-2009.