State v. Alvarez

This case concerns whether information from an unnamed informant was sufficiently reliable to support a determination of probable cause to issue a search warrant. Along the way, we decide whether a declaration against penal interest contributed to the reliability of the informant’s information when the informant did not realize that he or she was speaking to a person cooperating with the police.

The facts, taken from the affidavit submitted with the application for the search warrant, are as follows:

Officer Tyrrell has been a police officer for almost 10 years. For about three years, he has…