Kennedy Raumbach Case Summary

On August 1981, an officer by the name of Cyril Raumbach and other officers of the Burbank, California Police Department carried out a month long narcotic investigation of Alberto Leon and Ricardo Del Castillo, their residences, and a condominium upon receiving a tip claiming they were trafficking narcotics. The officers observed activities generally consistent with the informant's information, and conducted background checks on Leon and Del Castillo. Officer Raumbach, an experienced narcotic officer, concluded the condominium was being used as a stash spot to store large amounts of narcotics and then in small amounts the narcotics would be transported to the residences for distribution. Officer Raumbach consulted with other narcotic officers and wrote a …show more content…
The next step was writing an affidavit to present to a Superior Court judge to receive a search warrant. Then the evidence found was used to charge Leon and Del Castillo. They were indicted for federal drug offenses, and they filed motions to suppress the evidence seized pursuant to the warrant. The District Court allowed these motions and concluded that the search warrant was not valid due to the lack of probable cause for the warrant. They however recognized that Officer Rombach had acted in good faith, the court then rejected the Government's suggestion that the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule should not apply where evidence is seized in reasonable, good faith reliance on a search warrant. Then the case was taken to the Court of Appeals which also agreed that the officer did in fact act in good faith and also refused the Government's invitation to recognize a good faith exception to the rule. The Government then issued a petition for certiorari which went to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court declared that their is a “good faith” exception to the exclusionary