Warrantless Surveillance of Suspected Drug Dealer Upheld

The long-term video surveillance of a suspected cocaine dealer didn’t constitute a search requiring a warrant under the Fourth Amendment, the Sixth Circuit said.

The court also upheld the police’s dog sniff of Christopher May-Shaw’s car without a warrant.

Police monitored a parking lot near his apartment and the covered carport where he parked his car. The 23-day surveillance included cameras affixed to a telephone pole on a public street and a surveillance van parked in the parking lot.

After officers witnessed May-Shaw engage in several suspected drug deals, they used a police dog to sniff his car. The dog ...