State of Connecticut v. Dennis Kono

Summary

The court held that a warrantless canine sniff directed at the door of a condominium unit, including when conducted from a shared hallway, is a search under article first, § 7, of the Connecticut constitution. Because the home receives heightened privacy protection, the sniff required a warrant supported by probable cause, and the evidence obtained through the resulting warrant was properly suppressed. ESPINOSA, J., dissenting, would have held that neither the shared hallway nor the canine sniff implicated a protected privacy interest.