Massachusetts Auto Stops

Automobile stops form the basis of motions to suppress that are litigated every day in the District and Superior Courts throughout the Commonwealth. Challenges to police conduct occur in a wide variety of circumstances. Defense attorneys and prosecutors argue the competing interests of personal privacy versus the state's interest in ensuring safety, the result of which determines whether evidence is suppressed or admitted into evidence.

The outcome of this litigation always involves the application of law to the individual facts surrounding each stop. This program is a practical discussion of the police/citizen contact and is designed to help defense counsel and prosecutors prepare, research, andlitigate these motions effectively. While no mechanical rule can be applied to the numerous motor vehicle stops that occur throughout this Commonwealth, the body of law that has been developed does sketch guidelines that assist the defense in analyzing the lawfulness of the police intrusion into a motorist's rights. This nuts-and-bolts discussion benefits both the experienced practitioner and those beginning a practice in criminal law. The experienced panel of experts teaches you how to argue and prepare for the following issues, among others: whether a stop occurred, and whether it was reasonable; whether the demand for license and registration is permissible; under what circumstances exit orders are lawful; and what facts are necessary before a “pat frisk” may be conducted.