58 N.Y.2d 644 (1982)
The “public safety” exception to the Miranda rule allows police officers to ask questions necessary to secure their own safety or the safety of the public without first giving Miranda warnings; statements obtained in such situations are admissible in court.
Summary
This case addresses the “public safety” exception to the Miranda rule. The New York Court of Appeals remanded the case to the trial court to determine the voluntariness of Quarles’s statements. Quarles argued that statements made to police after his apprehension, without Miranda warnings, should be suppressed. The suppression court initially suppressed the statements based on the Miranda violation, without addressing voluntariness. The Supreme Court reversed on the Miranda issue, holding a public safety exception applied. The Court of Appeals directed the lower court to consider Quarles’s claim that the statements were involuntary, based on the existing record.
Facts
On September 11, 1980, police apprehended Benjamin Quarles in a supermarket. He matched the description of a man who had just committed a rape and was reportedly armed. Upon apprehending Quarles, the officers noticed he was wearing an empty shoulder holster. Before giving Quarles Miranda warnings, an officer asked him where the gun was. Quarles indicated the location of the gun, and the officers retrieved it. Only then were Miranda warnings administered.
Procedural History
Quarles was charged with criminal possession of a weapon. He moved to suppress the gun and his statements. The trial court granted the motion, suppressing both the gun and the statements, ruling that the statements were obtained in violation of Miranda. The Appellate Division affirmed. The New York Court of Appeals affirmed. The United States Supreme Court reversed and remanded, holding that the questioning fell within a “public safety” exception to the Miranda rule. On remand, the New York Court of Appeals reversed the Appellate Division order and remitted the case to the Supreme Court, Queens County.
Issue(s)
Whether the defendant’s statements to Officer Kraft following his apprehension on September 11, 1980, were made voluntarily, despite the absence of Miranda warnings.
Holding
Yes, the case is remitted to the Supreme Court, Queens County because the Supreme Court must determine, based on the existing record from the suppression hearing, whether Quarles’s statements were voluntary. The prior suppression was based solely on the Miranda violation, an issue now resolved by the Supreme Court’s ruling on the “public safety” exception.
Court’s Reasoning
The Court of Appeals reasoned that Quarles had consistently argued that his statements were involuntary, both in his motion to suppress and at the suppression hearing. The suppression court, however, had granted suppression solely on the grounds that Quarles had not been given Miranda warnings. The Supreme Court’s reversal of that decision, based on the public safety exception, necessitated a determination of the unresolved issue of voluntariness. The court emphasized that Quarles had already had a full opportunity to present evidence on the issue of voluntariness at the initial suppression hearing. Therefore, a new evidentiary hearing was not required; the determination should be made based on the existing record. The court cited People v. Havelka, 45 NY2d 636, 642-644, as precedent for resolving the issue on the record of the prior hearing. The court emphasized judicial efficiency and fairness to both sides.