People v. McDonnell

434 N.E.2d 71, 104 Ill. App. 3d 929, 61 Ill. Dec. 134, 1982 Ill. App. LEXIS 1589
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJanuary 22, 1982
DocketNo. 81-269
StatusPublished

This text of 434 N.E.2d 71 (People v. McDonnell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. McDonnell, 434 N.E.2d 71, 104 Ill. App. 3d 929, 61 Ill. Dec. 134, 1982 Ill. App. LEXIS 1589 (Ill. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

JUSTICE HOPE

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant John J. McDonnell was charged with one misdemeanor and four traffic offenses on March 12, 1980. He subsequently filed a motion to bar the testimony of the arresting officers, alleging their testimony was rendered incompetent because they were compensated on a basis other than that of time in contravention of statute (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 111, par. 2701). The circuit court of Lake County granted defendant’s motion to bar testimony, and the State appeals from that order.

Defendant was charged with obstructing a police officer, disobeying a police officer, improper lane usage, driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor and violation of a minimum speed regulation. Soon after he was arrested he filed a motion to suppress the testimony of the two arresting officers. This motion stated that during preparation for trial the defendant learned that District Fifteen of the Illinois State Police has a written policy which states in pertinent part: “that for every 10 DWI arrests made by an officer, he/she will receive one 510 day from the D-15 commander.” A “510 day” is a day off with full pay. Defendant’s motion argues that this policy was violative of a relatively obscure statute that rendered the policeman’s testimony inadmissible. The circuit court granted defendant’s motion to suppress and bar testimony on the basis of this statute and due process considerations.

The statute in issue states in its entirety:

“An Act in relation to the employment of detectives or investigators by public officials. 0 * °
§1. No State, county or municipal officer, whose duty it is to investigate the commission of any crime or to prosecute persons accused of crime, shall employ any detective or investigator on a compensation basis other than that of time, and in no event shall compensation to such persons be contingent on the success of the investigation or prosecution. Evidence obtained in violation of this Act shall be inadmissible in any court in this State for any purpose and any person employed in violation of this Act shall be incompetent to testify in any such court as to any information or evidence acquired by him in such employment.” Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. Ill, par. 2701.

The trial court specifically found that section 1 of “An Act in relation to the employment of detectives or investigators by public officials” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 111, par. 2701) (hereinafter section 1) applies to Illinois State troopers, and that a trooper receiving one day off for every 10 arrests for driving under the influence is being “compensated” within the meaning of the statute. The policy of District Fifteen of allowing one day off with full pay for every 10 DWI arrests was found by the court to be violative of section 1, and the court granted defendant’s motion to suppress the testimony of the State troopers and disallowed any evidence obtained as a result of that arrest.

Section 1 has a history of being closely linked with “An Act to provide for Licensing and Regulating Detectives ° * *” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. Ill, par. 2601 etseq.). For example, section 1, along with the provisions of “An Act to provide for Licensing and Regulating Detectives * * (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1965, ch. 38, par. 201 — 1 et seq.), used to be a part of the supplementary provisions of chapter 38 of the Illinois Revised Statutes (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1965, ch. 38, par. 201 — 51).

At present, section 2 of “An Act to provide for Licensing and Regulating Detectives # * *” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. Ill, par. 2602) specifically states that “[t]he provisions of this Act shall not apply to any detective or officer belonging to the police force of the state # We think that exemption for police officers is applicable to section 1 as well.

The State urges that section 1 of “An Act to provide for Licensing and Regulating Detectives # * *” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. Ill, par. 2601), also in the Professions and Occupations chapter, is indicative of the scope of section 1. This section begins with the phrase “The private detective business ° and the State urges that this is an indication that it was not intended to include State police officers. We agree. We are of the opinion that the legislature intended that this section not apply to police officers. The language of the statute prohibits public officials from employing “detectives or investigators” on a compensation basis other than that of time, and we do not think police officers were contemplated as being included.

In one of the few cases interpreting section 1, it was held that an informer was not intended to be classified as a “detective or investigator” under this statute. (People v. Jones (1966), 75 Ill. App. 2d 332, 221 N.E.2d 29.) In Jones a paid informer provided information to the police. Defendant made the argument that any testimony concerning the information provided by the informer was rendered inadmissible by the statute. The appellate court saw no merit in that contention. The same conclusion is made here.

The defendant makes the argument that the “510 policy,” given in addition to the regular compensation received by the officers, could interfere with the decisions that an officer makes in the course of his/her duties and is therefore unconstitutional. He urges that because an officer is rewarded for making such an arrest the arrest could be made to obtain the reward rather than because the officer had probable cause. Therefore, defendant contends, his right of due process was violated. We disagree.

The defendant contends that his situation is similar to that which arose in Connally v. Georgia (1977), 429 U.S. 245, 50 L. Ed. 2d 444, 97 S. Ct. 546. In Connally a judge was given a fee for each warrant that he issued. This was seen as violative of due process. We are of the opinion that Connally is inapposite to the defendant’s situation.

Defendant’s argument requires that we make no distinction between the function of a police officer and that of a judge. This we cannot do. The relationship of a police officer to a criminal defendant is by its nature adversarial. The same is true of the relationship between a State’s Attorney and such a defendant. On the other hand, a judge is to be impartial rather than adversarial.

In Connally, the defendant’s right to due process was tainted by the fact that the judge could have been influenced by having been paid a fee. Police officers simply do not occupy the same neutral and detached positions that judges do. Similarly, Ward v. Village of Monroeville (1972), 409 U.S. 57, 34 L. Ed. 2d 267, 93 S. Ct. 80, where the mayor was apting as a judge, is inapposite to the case before us.

We fail to see how the subject of the fourth amendment’s requirement for warrants issued by neutral magistrates arises in this case. Questions of judicial neutrality are not applicable to a policeman’s decision of whether or not an arrest should be made.

The question of whether there is probable cause is a judicial determination, and may be of constitutional dimension.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Ward v. Village of Monroeville
409 U.S. 57 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Connally v. Georgia
429 U.S. 245 (Supreme Court, 1977)
People v. Henry
312 N.E.2d 719 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1974)
People v. Rotramel
282 N.E.2d 484 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1972)
People v. Jones
221 N.E.2d 29 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1966)
People v. Baron
264 N.E.2d 423 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1970)
People v. Ruiz
396 N.E.2d 1314 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1979)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
434 N.E.2d 71, 104 Ill. App. 3d 929, 61 Ill. Dec. 134, 1982 Ill. App. LEXIS 1589, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-mcdonnell-illappct-1982.