How has the court considered the credibility of an anonymous tip that led to the seizure of a loaded handgun?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Brewer, C051471 (Cal. App. 6/21/2007), C051471 (Cal. App. 2007):

The court was also persuaded by the fact the anonymous tip involved a contemporaneous threat rather than past activity. (Dolly, supra, 40 Cal.4th at p. 467.) According to the court, "[t]he police `may ascribe greater reliability to a tip, even an anonymous one, where an informant "was reporting what he had observed moments ago," not stale or second-hand information.'" (Id. at p. 468, quoting from United States v. Terry-Crespo (9th Cir. 2004) 356 F.3d 1170, 1177.) The tipster also provided an accurate and detailed description of the perpetrator and his location, which was confirmed minutes later by the police. (Dolly, supra, at p. 468.) The court summarized: "`[T]here are situations in which an anonymous tip, suitably corroborated, exhibits "sufficient indicia of reliability to provide reasonable suspicion to make the investigatory stop."' [Citation.] As the high court has explained, however, the tip must be `reliable in its assertion of illegality, not just in its tendency to identify a determinate person.' [Citation.] In this case, the 911 call was a firsthand report of violent criminal conduct requiring an immediate response to protect public safety. The call was recorded, eliminating the possibility of after-the-fact police fabrication and allowing after-the-fact review (albeit limited) of the caller's sincerity. The report was fresh, detailed, and accurate, and its description of defendant and his location was corroborated by the police within minutes. Under the totality of the circumstances, we find there was sufficient indicia that the 911 caller was able to see the criminal conduct he was reporting, that he was reporting it truthfully and accurately, and thus that the tip was sufficiently reliable to justify the limited intervention of an investigatory detention, which led to discovery of the loaded revolver." (Id. at pp. 470-471.)

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