Webb v. State

695 S.W.2d 676, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 12106
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 26, 1985·No. 05-83-01017-CR·Published·Cited by 25 cases

Opinions

STEPHENS, Justice.

On appeal from his conviction for driving while intoxicated, appellant presents three grounds of error, all of which are directed to the legality of his arrest. He contends that the roadblock at which he was stopped, and subsequently arrested, was not in fact a valid driver’s license check authorized under TEX.REV.CIV.STAT.ANN. art. 6687b, § 13 (Vernon Supp.1985), and thus was unreasonable; that the roadblock was unlawful because although characterized as a driver’s license check, such characterization was a subterfuge, and thus was in violation of both the United States and the Texas Constitution; and that for these reasons, the trial court erred in overruling his motion to suppress. We agree that the roadblock was unlawful and, accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and order that a judgment of acquittal be entered.

The record reveals that the Dallas Police Department was conducting what it characterized as a routine driver’s license check on Greenville Avenue in Dallas, Texas on December 17,1982, because of “its proximity to establishments that sell alcoholic beverages.” While driving down Greenville Avenue, Webb was stopped by Officer Simpson, the State’s only witness, and other unidentified officers. Although Officer Simpson testified on cross-examination that after Webb’s automobile was stopped, Webb was asked to produce his driver’s license and to get out of the car, he admitted on redirect examination that he did not hear anyone ask Webb to produce his driver’s license. After being stopped for the purported “driver’s license check,” one of the officers detected the smell of alcohol on Webb’s breath. Webb was immediately placed under arrest and walked to an adjacent parking lot where he was detained for an indeterminate period of time before he was transported to a police substation jail.

Stopping an automobile and detaining its occupants constitutes a “seizure” within the meaning of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. Delaware v. Prouse, 440 U.S. 648, 655, 99 S.Ct. 1391, 1396, 59 L.Ed.2d 660 (1979); United States v. Martinez-Fuerte, 428 U.S. 543, 556-558, 96 S.Ct. 3074, 3082-83, 49 L.Ed.2d 1116; United States v. Brignoni-Ponce, 422 U.S. 873, 878, 95 S.Ct. 2574, 2578, 45 L.Ed.2d 607 (1975); Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 16, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 1877, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968). Although it is settled law that peace officers have the unquestioned right to detain a person driving an automobile for the purpose of examining his or her driver’s license, this detention is not lawful when the examination of the driver’s license is a subterfuge, or an excuse for failure to procure a search warrant. Razo v. State, 577 S.W.2d 709, 711 (Tex.Crim.App.1979); Fatemi v. State, 558 S.W.2d 463, 465 (Tex.Crim.App.1977); Faulkner v. State, 549 S.W.2d 1, 2 (Tex.Crim.App.1976); TEX.REV.CIV.STAT.ANN. art. 6687b, § 13 (Vernon Supp.1985).

[678] Since its inception, the rule excluding evidence seized in violation of the Fourth Amendment has been recognized as a principal mode of discouraging lawless police conduct. Terry, 392 U.S. at 13, 88 S.Ct. at 1875; see Weeks v. United States, 232 U.S. 383, 391-393, 34 S.Ct. 341, 343-344, 58 L.Ed. 652 (1914). Thus, the major thrust of the rule is to deter improper conduct by police officers. See Linkletter v. Walker, 381 U.S. 618, 634, 635, 85 S.Ct. 1731, 1740, 14 L.Ed.2d 601 (1965). Experience has taught that this exclusionary rule is the only effective means to deter police misconduct in the criminal context; without it, the constitutional guarantee against unreasonable searches would be a mere “form of words.” Terry, 392 U.S. at 13, 88 S.Ct. at 1875; Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, 655, 81 S.Ct. 1684, 1691, 6 L.Ed.2d 1081 (1961).

From the testimony, it is clear that Webb was not stopped for a routine driver’s license check. The police stopped Webb to check for a violation of the law against driving while intoxicated. We quote the following from Officer Simpson of the Dallas Police Department:

Q. Was the roadblock not placed on Greenville because of its proximity to establishments that sell alcoholic beverages and also on Samuel Boulevard for the same purpose, and on Harry Hines for the same purpose?
A. That’s correct.
Q. As opposed — you didn't just indiscriminately happen to pick a street? This was with a specific purpose in mind?
A. That’s correct.
Q. And that purpose was not a driver’s license check but it was, in fact, for a DWI check, is that correct?
A. That’s correct.

Because the purpose of Webb’s detention was not a routine driver’s license check, the detention was not authorized under article 6687b, section 13. TEX.REV.CIV.STAT.ANN. art. 6687b, § 13 (Vernon Supp.1985). Consequently, any evidence arising from this detention was obtained unlawfully and should be suppressed. United States v. Montgomery, 561 F.2d 875, 878 (D.C.Cir.1977); United States v. Nicholas, 448 F.2d 622, 623 (8th Cir.1971). Without objective evidentiary justification, which the Constitution requires, police conduct which invades personal security must be condemned by the judiciary and its fruits must be excluded from evidence in criminal trials. Terry, 392 U.S. at 13, 14, 88 S.Ct. at 1875, 1876.

As with all warrantless searches and seizures, the constitutionality of D.W.I. roadblocks is determined by balancing the legitimate governmental interest against the degree of intrusion on the individual’s Fourth Amendment rights. See Delaware v. Prouse, 440 U.S. at 655, 99 S.Ct. at 1396; Brignoni-Ponce, 422 U.S. at 878, 95 S.Ct. at 2578; United States v. Ortiz, 422 U.S. 891, 895, 95 S.Ct. 2585, 2588, 45 L.Ed.2d 623 (1975). This balancing test involves three considerations: (1) The gravity of public concern served by the seizure, (2) the degree to which the seizure advances the public interest, and (3) the severity of the interference with individual liberty. Brown v. Texas, 443 U.S. 47, 49, 99 S.Ct. 2637, 2639, 61 L.Ed.2d 357 (1979).

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Webb v. State, 695 S.W.2d 676, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 12106 (Tex. Ct. App. 1985).

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