Commonwealth v. Conway

49 Pa. D. & C.3d 242, 1987 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 64
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Chester County
DecidedJanuary 15, 1987
Docketno. 407-86
StatusPublished

This text of 49 Pa. D. & C.3d 242 (Commonwealth v. Conway) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Chester County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Conway, 49 Pa. D. & C.3d 242, 1987 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 64 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1987).

Opinion

SMITH, J.,

— We write by reason of the commonwealth’s appeal from our pretrial suppression order. While we doubt that our order has “substantially handicapped” the prosecution of this case,1 we recognize that their certification gives [243]*243them standing to advance their position elsewhere.

On February 12, 1986, at 9:00 a.m. defendant, James Conway, was arrested in Devon, Chester County, for allegedly driving under the influence. Defense counsel does not contend that the police lacked cause to stop defendant nor does he challenge the propriety of the field tests administered on the roadway. In the interest of thoroughness, however, we will recount the activities that led to the stop.

Officer Miller of the Tredyffrin Township police was called to the scene of Hunter’s Lane and Timber Lane where*5 defendant was seated in his vehicle which was stuck on the side of the road in a snowbank. Defendant was attempting to release his car from the snowbank. When the officer approached defendant, he noted signs of intoxication and smelled the odor of alcohol. The officer attempted to administer two field tests: the horizontal gaze nystagmus and the one-leg stand. The officer concluded that defendant was incapable of completing the horizontal gaze nystagmus. The officer also felt that the one leg stand was too dangerous for defendant to complete because of the snow covered road. Defendant was arrested and transported to the Tredyffrin Township Police Department.

The issue we address involves a test the police administered at the station. There defendant was advised of his Miranda rights and the Implied Consent Law. Defendant said he did hot want to speak to the officer. Defendant also refused any chemical testing of his blood. Defendant attempted without success to contact his attorney. Thereafter defendant was taken to a room in the police station where he was videotaped. He was again advised of his rights on camera and he again invoked his right to remain silent. Without any waiver on defendant’s [244]*244part, Officer Miller directed defendant to perform four field tests. Defendant performed each test and from time to time sought further clarification from the officer as to how the test should be taken.

When the tests were completed, defendant was questioned further so the officer could complete a standard DUI arrest form. The officer asked defendant, among other things, where defendant had been and what defendant had drunk. The commonwealth achnowledges that defendant’s invocation of his right to remain silent rendered Officer Miller’s interrogation of defendant and defendant’s responses inadmissible.

The issue then before us is whether a videotape of a defendant performing a variety of field tests requiring both physical and verbal responses is admissible after a defendant asserted his right to remain silent and never waived that right. In an effort to balance the competing interests here evident we proposed turning off the audio portion of the tape and permitting a showing of the video portion only, with the police officer doing a “voice over” to explain what was taking place on the screen. We admitted the video portion because we believe the videotape is analogous to a photograph. A defendant’s invocation of Miranda does not preclude law enforcement personnel from taking his picture.

We feel, however, that the sound portion violates defendant’s Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination- and that it might mislead the jury.2 We will discuss each of these problems in turn.

The Fifth Amendment privilege against self-in[245]*245crimination protects only testimonial or communicative acts. The taking of real or physical evidence from the person of defendant does not violate the privilege. See Schmerber v. California, 384 U. S. 757 (1966). In Schmerber, the United States Supreme Court held that blood extracted from a non-consenting suspect was non-testimonial evidence. Even though the evidence was admittedly “an incriminating product of compulsion,” the court reasoned that:

“Not even a shadow of testimonial compulsion upon enforced communication by the accused was involved either in the extraction or in the chemical analysis. Petitioner’s testimonial capacities were in no way implicated; indeed, his participation, except as a donor, was irrelevant to the results of the test, which depend upon chemical analysis and on that alone.” Id. at 765.

The acts that Pennsylvania Courts have deemed to be non-testimonial include compelling a defendant to display himself, to appear in court, and to stand or to gesture.3 Further, the privilege is not violated when defendant is compelled to speak or to write,4 if done merely to determine the physical characteristics of defendant’s voice or handwriting, as opposed to the substance of what defendant says or writes.

In the instant case, we recognize that the results of field tests administered by the police in a DUI case are admissible. “[T]he driver is the source of' ‘real or physical evidence,’ compulsion of which does not come within the purview of the Fifth Amendment.” Commonwealth v. Kloch, 230 Pa. Su[246]*246per. 563, 572, 327 A.2d 375, 381 (1974). Our problem with this particular videotape, however, is that defendant’s performance of the field tests required defendant to give more than physical evidence. Defendant was required to respond to questions as he was taking the test. He was not giving a voice exampiar; he was expressing his own thoughts and his own words while performing the tests. The police put defendant in a situation where he had to talk and then recorded his speech. Now the commonwealth seeks to use the substance of defendant’s thoughts and speech against him. We feel that the audio portion of the videotape is testimonial.

We are particularly bothered by this evidence because defendant stated that he did not wish to talk to the police after he was read his Miranda rights. We fully understand the law of Pennsylvania to be that Miranda warnings are not required prior to the administration of field tests. See Kloch, 230 Pa. Super. 563, 327 A.2d 375. The court in Kloch held that Miranda warnings are not required when general on-the-scene investigatory questioning is conducted to determine whether there is probable cause to arrest. Id. at 571, 327 A.2d at 380. Here, however, defendant was already under arrest. Because the defendant was already under arrest and was asked to do more than merely performing physical tests, we feel that Miranda warnings were necessary. Because defendant clearly exercised these rights, we refuse to allow the commonwealth to use defendant’s words and’thoughts against him.

Having found no Pennsylvania case on point, our research of other jurisdictions has revealed a general willingness on the part of American courts to admit videotapes and films of a suspect’s performance of field and breathalyzer tests. As one court noted:

[247]

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Related

Schmerber v. California
384 U.S. 757 (Supreme Court, 1966)
Lanford v. People
409 P.2d 829 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1966)
Commonwealth v. Robinson
324 A.2d 441 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)
Commonwealth v. Kloch
327 A.2d 375 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)
State v. Haefer
328 N.W.2d 894 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1982)
State v. Nece
501 A.2d 1049 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1985)
Commonwealth v. Bosurgi
190 A.2d 304 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1963)
The PEOPLE v. Ardella
276 N.E.2d 302 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1971)
State v. Bottomly
506 A.2d 1237 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1986)
People v. Fenelon
303 N.E.2d 38 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1973)
Daset Mining Corp. v. Industrial Fuels Corp.
473 A.2d 584 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1984)
State v. Bottomly
504 A.2d 1223 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1984)
People v. Strozier
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Bosurgi v. Pennsylvania
375 U.S. 910 (Supreme Court, 1963)

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Bluebook (online)
49 Pa. D. & C.3d 242, 1987 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 64, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-conway-pactcomplcheste-1987.