He held up his badge long enough for respondents to identify him as a police officer. Lang approached respondents from the rear and leaned over Drayton’s shoulder. Drayton was in the aisle seat, Brown in the seat next to the window. Respondents were seated next to each other on the bus. On the day in question, however, he did not. Lang sometimes informed passengers of their right to refuse to cooperate.
It also was common for passengers to leave the bus for a cigarette or a snack while the officers were on board. Lang could recall five to six instances in the previous year in which passengers had declined to have their luggage searched. Some passengers go so far as to commend the police for their efforts to ensure the safety of their travel.
In Lang’s experience, however, most people are willing to cooperate. To avoid blocking the aisle, Lang stood next to or just behind each passenger with whom he spoke.Īccording to Lang’s testimony, passengers who declined to cooperate with him or who chose to exit the bus at any time would have been allowed to do so without argument. He asked the passengers about their travel plans and sought to match passengers with luggage in the overhead racks. Lang worked his way toward the front of the bus, speaking with individual passengers as he went. Blackburn remained stationed there, facing forward. Officers Lang and Blackburn went to the rear of the bus. He could observe the passengers and ensure the safety of the two other officers without blocking the aisle or otherwise obstructing the bus exit. Once onboard Officer Hoover knelt on the driver’s seat and faced the rear of the bus. The officers were dressed in plain clothes and carried concealed weapons and visible badges.
#Greyhound bus uniform driver#
As he left, the driver allowed three members of the Tallahassee Police Department to board the bus as part of a routine drug and weapons interdiction effort. As the passengers reboarded, the driver checked their tickets and then left to complete paperwork inside the terminal. The passengers were required to disembark so the bus could be refueled and cleaned. The bus made a scheduled stop in Tallahassee, Florida. Lauderdale, Florida, to Detroit, Michigan. On February 4, 1999, respondents Christopher Drayton and Clifton Brown, Jr., were traveling on a Greyhound bus en route from Ft.
This case requires us to determine whether officers must advise bus passengers during these encounters of their right not to cooperate.
#Greyhound bus uniform free#
The Fourth Amendment permits police officers to approach bus passengers at random to ask questions and to request their consent to searches, provided a reasonable person would understand that he or she is free to refuse. Justice Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court.
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