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United States v. Williams —Second Circuit Court of Appeals
(Connecticut, New York, Vermont), May 17,  Law Enforcement
Bulletin     Question: Does a peace officer violate the Fifth
Amendment when he briefly questions a suspect on the scene and
later gives Miranda warnings before questioning at the officer’s
station?  Quick answer: It depends on the totality of the
evidence surrounding the questioning.  Facts: Police had been
tracking a gun trafficking scheme from Birmingham, Ala., to New
York City for a year and a half by relying on information from a
confidential informant.  Defendant Robert Williams and two other
men had recently arrived in New York from Alabama to sell guns,
and the informant tipped off police that Williams was at an
apartment with two other men, and they had at least 10 guns in
their possession. Officers had the informant purchase a weapon
from the men, and then they quickly obtained and executed a
search warrant for the apartmen