Hiibel v. SIXTH DIST. CT. EX REL. HUMBOLDT

59 P.3d 1201
CourtNevada Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 20, 2002
Docket38876
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 59 P.3d 1201 (Hiibel v. SIXTH DIST. CT. EX REL. HUMBOLDT) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nevada Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hiibel v. SIXTH DIST. CT. EX REL. HUMBOLDT, 59 P.3d 1201 (Neb. 2002).

Opinion

59 P.3d 1201 (2002)

Larry D. HIIBEL, Petitioner,
v.
The SIXTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT of The State of Nevada, in and for the COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT, and the Honorable Richard A. Wagner, District Judge, Respondents, and
The State of Nevada, Real Party in Interest.

No. 38876.

Supreme Court of Nevada.

December 20, 2002.

*1202 Steven G. McGuire, State Public Defender, and James P. Logan, Chief Deputy Public Defender, Carson City, for Petitioner.

Frankie Sue Del Papa, Attorney General, Carson City; David G. Allison, District Attorney, and Conrad Hafen, Chief Deputy District Attorney, Humboldt County, for Real Party in Interest.

Before the Court En Banc.

OPINION

YOUNG, C.J.

The pertinent issue before us is whether NRS 171.123(3), which requires a person *1203 stopped under reasonable suspicion by a police officer to identify himself or herself, violates the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. We conclude NRS 171.123(3) does not violate the Fourth Amendment because it strikes a balance between constitutional protections of privacy and the need to protect police officers and the public. Therefore, Hiibel's petition for a writ of certiorari is denied.

In pertinent part, NRS 171.123 provides:

1. Any peace officer may detain any person whom the officer encounters under circumstances which reasonably indicate that the person has committed, is committing or is about to commit a crime.
....
3. The officer may detain the person pursuant to this section only to ascertain his identity and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his presence abroad. Any person so detained shall identify himself, but may not be compelled to answer any other inquiry of any peace officer.
4. A person may not be detained longer than is reasonably necessary to effect the purposes of this section, and in no event longer than 60 minutes.

In response to a call from police dispatch, Humboldt County Sheriff's Deputy Lee Dove drove to the scene where a concerned citizen had observed someone striking a female passenger inside a truck. There, Dove spoke to the concerned citizen and was directed to a parked truck. When Dove approached the truck, he noticed skid marks in the gravel, suggesting the truck had been parked in a sudden and aggressive manner. Dove saw Larry D. Hiibel standing outside the truck and thought he was intoxicated based on his eyes, mannerisms, speech, and odor. Hiibel's minor daughter was in the passenger side of the truck. When Dove asked Hiibel to identify himself, Hiibel refused. Instead, Hiibel placed his hands behind his back and challenged the officer to take him to jail.

Hiibel said he would cooperate but was unwilling to provide identification, because he did not believe he had done anything wrong. After eleven requests for identification, to no avail, Dove arrested Hiibel. Dove described the situation as follows:

[D]uring my conversation with Mr. Hiibel, there was a point where he became somewhat agressive [sic].
I felt based on me not being able to find out who he was, to identify him, I didn't know if he was wanted or what is [sic] situation was, I [w]asn't able to determine what was going on crimewise in the vehicle, based on that I felt he was intoxicated, and how he was becoming aggressive and moody, I went ahead and put him in handcuffs so I could secure him for my safety, and put him in my patrol vehicle.

Hiibel was charged and found guilty of resisting a public officer, in violation of NRS 199.280.[1] The justice of the peace in Humboldt County determined that "[Hiibel] was asked only for identification and failure to provide identification obstructed and delayed Dove as a public officer in attempting to discharge his duty."

On appeal, the district court held it was "reasonable and necessary" for Dove to request identification from Hiibel and affirmed Hiibel's conviction. Evidence "over and above simply failing to identify himself" was found to support Hiibel's arrest and conviction, which included Dove's suspicion that Hiibel engaged in driving under the influence. The district court balanced the public's interest in requiring Hiibel to identify himself against Hiibel's Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. The district court determined it was crucial for the safety of an officer and possible victims to know the identity *1204 of a person suspected of battery, domestic violence, and driving under the influence.

We conclude this case is properly before this court pursuant to NRS 34.020(3), because the constitutionality of NRS 171.123(3) presents an issue of first impression. Accordingly, we will address the merits of Hiibel's constitutional challenge to NRS 171.123(3).

Fundamental to a democratic society is the ability to wander freely[2] and anonymously, if we so choose, without being compelled to divulge information to the government about who we are or what we are doing.[3] This "right to be let alone"[4]—to simply live in privacy—is a right protected by the Fourth Amendment and undoubtedly sacred to us all.[5]

Yet, this right to privacy is not absolute.[6] Like all freedoms we enjoy, it includes both limitations and responsibilities. One such limitation to the right of privacy is reasonableness. The Fourth Amendment only protects against "unreasonable" invasions of privacy, or searches and seizures, by the government.[7]

The United States Supreme Court has twice expressly refused to address whether a person reasonably suspected of engaging in criminal behavior may be required to identify himself or herself.[8] Therefore, the issue is unresolved.[9]

There is a split of authority among the federal circuit courts of appeals on this issue.[10] In Oliver v. Woods,[11] the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Utah statute that requires individuals to produce identification to an officer during an investigatory stop. However, in Carey v. Nevada Gaming Control Board,[12] the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that NRS 171.123(3) violates the Fourth Amendment because "`the serious intrusion on personal security outweighs the mere possibility that identification [might] provide a link leading to arrest."'[13] We find the reasoning in Carey to be unpersuasive. Given the conflicting authority, we believe an independent analysis of the constitutionality of NRS 171.123(3) is warranted.

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59 P.3d 1201, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hiibel-v-sixth-dist-ct-ex-rel-humboldt-nev-2002.