Education
In today's episode, I want to discuss case law. Yes, I know it's boring! However, it's relevant to your reports, and it's a big part of what it means to be a real police officer, which means it's essential to your police training. Before we get started, I want to paint a picture. Let's say that you're part of a Special Task Force and you want to focus on a specific area in town that is of interest because of the high crime occurring in the last month, whether that's in narcotics, burglaries, or other crimes. Imagine you're driving around in your marked patrol vehicle. Then, you spot a man walking down the street, and as soon as he sees you, he turns around and runs away. The question here is this: Are you allowed to stop him? Is it illegal for him to look at you? Do you have a reason to stop him? It doesn't seem that way. However, guess what? According to the Supreme Court of the United States, you are indeed allowed to stop that person, but there are some things you need to consider, and that's what we'll be discussing today. To illustrate my point, I want to take a look at Illinois Vs. Wardlow. This case took place in Chicago, Illinois, in 1995. Here's the summary: three patrol cars were working in a specific area of town looking for Narcotics. On one of those patrol vehicles, Mr. Wardlow was walked by, and as soon as he noticed the police officers, he turned around and ran away through an alley. One of the officers noticed the suspicious behavior, got out of the car, and started pursuing on foot. Once the officer caught up to him, frisked him and went through a bag Mr. Wardlow had on hand, he found that Mr. Wardlow had an illegal firearm. This stop, of course, led to an arrest and eventually, Mr. Wardlow got convicted for the crime, but he fought his conviction in the Supreme Court. Here's what's interesting: The Illinois Supreme Court stated that the fact that he ran away was not enough reason to stop Mr. Wardlow, but the Supreme Court decided otherwise; Mr. Wardlow's behavior was, in fact, indicative of possible crime, and the pursuit was warranted. Let's break it down: 1. Mr. Wardlow was in a high-crime area linked with Narcotics. 2. The officers, who were part of a Special Task Force, were working said area. 3. His behavior, the fact that he ran away for no reason, gave the officers enough reason to suspect, stop him, and pat him down. 4. This stop resulted in the discovery of an illegal firearm on his person. The bottom line is that is not normal behavior for someone to run away from the police for no reason at all, and is not a violation of the Fourth Amendment to stop someone for reasonable of suspicion. Illinois VS Wardlow provides you a frame to stop crime in its tracks. Remember crime is mobile, whether it's a criminal driving or walking down the street, we must stop those criminals using all the tools the supreme court allows us to use. https://youtu.be/MKEALXVDW18