Justia Lawyer Rating
badge - California DUI Lawyers Association
badge - California Public Defenders Association
badge - Sacramento County Bar Association
badge - The State Bar of California
badge - United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Plain View Searches

Though most police searches are conducted under the authorization of a warrant, sometimes the police will happen upon incriminating evidence and seize it. Under the doctrine of plain view searches, this is legal if done properly. A Sacramento criminal defense attorney will be able to explain to you how plain view searches and whether you can contest it if you think your property was seized illegally.

The plain view doctrine holds that the police can legally seize an object they believe is instrumental to a crime without a warrant if three conditions are met: 1) the police have lawfully reached the position from which they are able to see the object; 2) the police can lawfully access the object in question; and 3) the object’s instrumentality to a crime is “immediately apparent,” which means that simply viewing the object must create probable cause for the officer to suspect it without any further handling or searching. (An officer cannot turn over an object to look at its serial number and still claim that its search was in plain view, according to one Supreme Court case.) The police are also required to reach the position to view the object legally, without violating any Fourth Amendment rules. Additionally, some states require that the search be done inadvertently, or by accident, to be considered a plain view search.

An experienced Sacramento criminal defense attorney might attack a plain view search in one of two ways. One tactic is to ask the police if they can prove that the incriminating nature of the object was immediately apparent or if they had to conduct an intrusive investigation on the object before determining that it was incriminating. If they did, then the plain view doctrine is inapplicable. The second tactic is to ask how the police got into the position to see the item and whether they were there legally. If they entered an area they had no right to be, or searched an area beyond what is reasonably part of their expected search, such as searching a photo album when they are looking for a weapon, then the plain view exception might not apply.

If you have questions about whether a police search was constitutional, do not hesitate to contact the law office of dedicated Sacramento criminal defense attorney Param Pabla for a consultation.

Client Reviews
★★★★★
“Mr. Pabla represented me with my DUI case. He has excellent communication skills and always kept me informed. Mr. Pabla made sure I understood the process and my rights. He eased my mind through a very stressful situation. I highly recommend Mr. Pabla.” Gurpreet
★★★★★
“I am so happy with the service that I received from Param S. Pabla. Jarrett did a great job solving my legal issue and I can’t recommend him enough! He was able to do everything quickly, painlessly, and was ALWAYS available to talk when I needed him. If I ever need help again, I will definitely use him!" Boris
★★★★★
“Param was excellent in my court case of failure to stop at a stop sign. The officer could not see clearly because he was too far away. The officer insisted he could and said he had video but could not produce it at the trial. The officer then asked if he could suspend the trial to go get the video but the judge said he should have had plenty of time to get the video ready beforehand. Needless to say, the judge ruled in my favor and dismissed the case which enraged the officer. Pabla Param’s defense and cross examination skills were excellent and paramount in having the case dismissed. Highly recommended.” T.C.
★★★★★
“My husband and I needed to update everything -family trust, will, medical stuff. Param was really patient -answering all my questions -even when I asked them twice. He wanted to be sure I understood everything we were doing. All docs were sent to us so we could go through them on our own time before anything was finalized. I also liked when we were looking at medical stuff that he had a conversation with me about what I wanted and pointed out some things I didn’t think of.” Debbie