People v. Daye (Kenrick)
The People appealed an order from the Criminal Court of the City of New York, Bronx County, which granted the defendant's motion to suppress a dog recovered from his backyard. The Appellate Term, First Department, affirmed the suppression order, finding no basis to disturb the lower court's credibility determinations. The court held that the police, assisting an Administration for Children's Services (ACS) caseworker, exceeded the narrow scope of a Family Court Act § 1034 order by unilaterally entering the defendant's enclosed backyard without a warrant or exigent circumstances. The court emphasized that the order did not grant unfettered access to the curtilage of the defendant's home, which is protected under the Fourth Amendment.