Civil Liberties

Oregon Court of Appeals: Suspects Have Right to Privacy in Bathroom

Cops can't barge in looking for evidence of illegal activity

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The Oregon Court of Appeals expanded the definition of restroom relief with an opinion Wednesday that found police can't barge in on a suspect in a locked bathroom even if he's just waiting them out.

In a decision overturning the 2011 drug conviction of a Portland man, the judges said police conducted a warrantless search that violated the suspect's privacy rights when they used a key to open the locked door of a public restroom where he fled after seeing an officer head his way.

The evidence seized as a result of the illegal search—a glass pipe with cocaine residue—shouldn't have been admitted in court, the judges found.