R. v. Stairs 2022 SCC 11 - Case Summary

The Supreme Court of Canada clarifies the scope, and requirements, for search of a person’s home incidental to their arrest.

Who

  • Police respond to a 9-1-1 domestic violence call. The caller indicates a man was seen repeatedly hitting a woman in a vehicle.

  • Police locate the vehicle in the driveway of an unknown house, knock on the front door, and loudly announce their presence. No one responds.

  • Police enter the home fearing for the woman’s safety. Inside, they find a woman with fresh injuries to her face and, shortly after, Mr. Stairs, who proceeds to barricade himself in a basement room.

  • Police arrest Stairs for a domestic violence related offence.

What

  • After Stairs is arrested, police conduct a “visual clearing” search of the basement of the residence. They locate a clear container and plastic bag in “plain view”, which contains methamphetamine. Stairs is subsequently charged with CDSA 5(2) possession for the purposes of trafficking.

Where

Why

  • The common law standard for search incident to arrest, requires the following (para 35-36):

1) That the individual has been lawfully arrested

2) That the search is truly incidental to arrest, for a valid law enforcement purpose connected to the arrest. This includes police and public safety, preventing the destruction of evidence, and discovery of evidence.

3) That the search is conducted reasonably

  • The SCC’s decision modifies the common law standard, in the specific context of a search of a home incident to arrest, but only where the area searched is outside the physical control of the arrested person.

  • The new standard requires the following:

1) The area searched must be sufficiently proximate to the arrest

2) The police must have reason to suspect that there is a safety risk to them, or the accused, or the public

3) The search must be conducted in a reasonable manner, tailored to the heightened privacy interests of a home

The Gist

  • “When the police search incident to arrest in a home for safety purposes, they must have reason to suspect that a search of areas outside the physical control of the arrested person will further the objective of police and public safety, including the safety of the accused.” (para 65)

  • To determine if the search area is within or outside the physical control of the arrested person, ask:

What is the link between the location and purpose of the search and the grounds for arrest?

  • “Reason to suspect” requires reasonable suspicion. This is higher than the standard of “some reasonable basis” which is the common law standard for general searches incident to arrest (para 66-67).

  • The SCC recognize the “heightened privacy’” of the home, placing it on a spectrum below seizure of bodily samples, but above general places that will be searched incident to arrest. That said….

  • They also state judges must be alive to the volatility and uncertainty police officers face at a scene. They must not ignore the realities of the job in assessing police conduct (para 74).

  • The Court, unfortunately, specifically avoids discussing searches in the home for another investigative purpose - i.e. not for police safety, but for evidence discovery, evidence preservation, etc.

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