People v. Turner

OPINION OF THE COURT

Michael R. Juviler, J.

The Issue

This is an expanded version of an oral decision denying, after a hearing, a motion to suppress a statement to a police officer. The defendant had made the statement while he was *672locked in a crack spot to sell drugs and the officer was standing outside. The defendant moved to suppress the statement on the ground that it was the product of “custodial interrogation” without Miranda warnings.

The method of operation in which drug dealers imprison the seller has been addressed with growing frequency in the Brooklyn criminal courts; this device…