It was interesting to read in this story about the wife of former Viking tight end Joe Senser, that the police waited for a warrant before searching the vehicle, even though the family had given permission:
Phanthavong, 38, was killed as he was putting gas in his car after it ran out of fuel on the ramp leading from westbound Interstate 94 to Riverside Avenue about 11 p.m. He was head cook at True Thai, a restaurant on nearby Franklin Avenue.
He was hit directly by Senser’s vehicle and propelled into the air, Schwebel said. Blood was found on the parts of the Mercedes left at the scene, according to a search warrant.
Investigators received a call at 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 24 from Nelson indicating he was calling on behalf of the registered owner of the suspected vehicle and the owner’s family.
At their Edina home, the Sensers gave investigators the keys to their 2009 Mercedes ML350 and it was towed to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office crime lab.
The family gave investigators permission to search the vehicle, but authorities waited until they obtained a search warrant, Nelson said.
“Do celebrities get better treatment from the police?” Possibly. On the other hand, if the suspect has a large income and a public face to maintain, you can expect a very thorough legal defense to be mounted.
Note that the vehicle was immediately seized by police, and taken to a crime lab. Waiting for a warrant to search is simply good sense if you have the grounds to obtain one. The suspect can always claim that while his family may have given permission, he/she did not, and make an argument based on that. There is no preferential treatment here, just thorough police procedure.
Comment by Mountie Bob — September 6, 2011 @ 05:04
On the other hand, if the suspect has a large income and a public face to maintain, you can expect a very thorough legal defense to be mounted.
In other words, the police felt it to be expedient to actually follow proper procedure in this case, as it would be more likely to lose them a conviction if they just did what they normally would do? I see your point, but I don’t think you’ve disproven mine.
The idea of there being two different sets of laws — one for the rich/powerful/famous, and one for everyone else — is a toxic one, but it is much worse if evidence accumulates that supports the idea.
Comment by Nicholas — September 6, 2011 @ 08:43