Oliver v. State

OPINION

By the Court,

Gunderson, J.;

On May 7, 1983, Las Vegas policemen arrested appellant Oliver and charged him with larceny from the person, in violation of NRS 205.270. At trial, prosecution witnesses established the following facts.

On the night of Oliver’s arrest, three policemen undertook to conduct a “decoy operation” near the intersection of Main and Ogden in Las Vegas. That corner is in a downtown area frequented by substantial numbers of persons commonly characterized as “street people,” “vagrants,” and “derelicts.” It appears Oliver, a black man, is one of these.

Disguised as a…