People v. Mendoza-Balderama

The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution protects citizens and their homes “against unreasonable searches and seizures.”1 The “‘touchstone of the Fourth Amendment is reasonableness.’ ” Ohio v. Robinette, 519 U.S. 33, 39, 117 S.Ct. 417, 136 L.Ed.2d 347 (1996) (quoting Florida v. Jimeno, 500 U.S. 248, 250, 111 S.Ct. 1801, 114 L.Ed.2d 297 (1991)). Thus, a trial court, called upon to review the conduct of the police in the course of a challenged search, must determine whether the police acted in a manner that was “unreasonable.” The “fact specific reasonableness inquiry,” Robinette,…