United States v. Ford

553 F.2d 146, 180 U.S. App. D.C. 1
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit·Decided February 11, 1977·No. Nos. 76-1467, 76-1468, 76-1501 to 76-1503·Published·Cited by 34 cases

Opinion

Opinion for the court filed by J. SKELLY WRIGHT, Circuit Judge.

J. SKELLY WRIGHT, Circuit Judge:

The District Court for the District of Columbia granted motions to suppress certain evidence gathered by electronic surveil[3] lance of appellees’ conversations. On this appeal by the Government1 from that ruling the facts are not in dispute.

From early 1975 members of the Narcotics Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department suspected that the Meljerveen Ltd. Shoe Circus, a shoe store in Northwest Washington, D. C., was the locus of narcotics distribution activity. Over a period of months these suspicions were corroborated by information received through intermittent physical surveillance of the store and from informants, some of whom made controlled purchases of narcotics there.2 The police concluded that the narcotics operation was extensive, but they were unable to gather sufficient information as to the persons involved.3 Therefore, they decided to seek a court order authorizing electronic surveillance.4 Their information indicated that the proprietor of the Shoe Circus and prime suspect, Melvin E. Smith, mistakenly believed his telephone was already under surveillance, i. e., the object of a wiretap order, and that, therefore, he would not discuss narcotics activity over the telephone.5 The police concluded that under the circumstances a wiretap would be fruitless, so a decision was made to seek judicial authority to install eavesdropping devices— “bugs” — inside the premises.6

On September 4, 1975 an Assistant United States Attorney and a Metropolitan Police Department Narcotics Branch detective 7 approached a judge of the District Court and presented to him a lengthy affidavit of probable cause and a surveillance order prepared for his signature. The Assistant United States Attorney informed the authorizing judge, off the record, that the police intended to effect entry into the Shoe Circus by means of a bomb-scare [4] ruse.8 After questioning the detective on the issue of probable cause and instructing him as to statutory minimization,9 the authorizing judge signed the intercept order submitted by the Assistant United States Attorney.

In accordance with the provisions of the District of Columbia Code governing capture of wire and oral communications, the 20-day10 intercept order called for minimization and periodic progress reports to the authorizing judge.11 Unlike most electronic surveillance orders — which authorize strictly non-trespassory wiretaps 12 — this warrant permitted an undesignated number of “bugs” to be placed inside the Shoe Circus “as soon as practicable.” 13 Paragraph (d) of the intercept order read:

(d) Members of the Metropolitan Police Department are hereby authorized to enter and re-enter the Meljerveen Ltd. Shoe Circus located at 4815 Georgia Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D. C., for the purpose of installing, maintaining and removing the electronic eavesdropping devices. Entry and re-entry may be accom[5] plished in any manner, including, but not limited to, breaking and entering or other surreptitious entry, or entry and re-entry by ruse and stratagem.

Intercept order at 3, JA 45 (emphasis added). Acting pursuant to this authorization, police posing as a unit of the bomb squad appeared at the Shoe Circus on September 5. The store was evacuated and three “bugs” were installed, with at least one of the devices being placed in an area of the store not open to the general public. The operation lasted approximately half an hour.

It appears that on the following day police assigned to monitor conversations taking place inside the Shoe Circus discovered that none of the devices was transmitting. The Assistant United States Attorney was notified, and he in turn informed the authorizing judge. Remarking that there was, in his opinion, little likelihood of successful re-entry by means of another bomb-scare ruse, the authorizing judge nevertheless apparently concurred in the Assistant United States Attorney’s plan. No record was made of these entirely informal conversations. Again using a bomb-scare ruse, police made a second daytime entry on September 10,1975 and installed two additional devices, one in a non-public area. This time the devices did not malfunction, and during the next five weeks the police successfully monitored numerous narcotics-related conversations.

There is no indication that any further entries were made until October 15, 1975, when, prior to the expiration of an extension order issued September 26, 1975, the police entered without subterfuge to remove the listening devices. The intercepted conversations were subsequently presented to the grand jury. On February 6, 1976 indictments were issued charging appellees with various narcotics-related offenses.14 Appellees moved to suppress the electronic surveillance evidence, and a hearing was held 15 at which the Government vigorously contended that this essential element of the prosecution’s evidence had been validly seized. In a memorandum and order dated April 23, 1976 the District Court granted appellees’ motions to suppress. United States v. Ford, 414 F.Supp. 879 (D.D.C.1976). The instant appeal ensued.

I

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United States v. Ford, 553 F.2d 146, 180 U.S. App. D.C. 1 (D.C. Cir. 1977).

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