Miranda – The Case that Changed Policing

“You have the right to remain silent,” a phrase recited across the United States by police officers when making an arrest.

Did you know that the reading of the Miranda Rights began with a criminal investigation by the Phoenix Police Department?

June 13, 2026, marks the 60th anniversary of the historic ruling that fundamentally changed policing practices nationwide by establishing what we now refer to as Miranda Rights.

The original investigation that led to this pivotal case was conducted by the Phoenix Police Department, making this anniversary particularly significant for the city and its law enforcement history.

THE CRIME AND INVESTIGATION

On the evening of March 3, 1963, a woman was walking to a bus stop when she was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and robbed by an unknown suspect.

Days later, a family member of the victim reported seeing a suspicious vehicle in the area where the crime occurred. The witness provided detectives with a partial license plate number, and through the investigation, they located a matching vehicle registered to Ernesto Miranda.

Detectives went to Miranda’s home and asked to speak with him about a police matter.

“When I asked him to come to the police department, he was not under arrest,” shared former Captain Carroll Cooley in a 2022 interview filmed by the Phoenix Police Department Public Affairs Bureau. “We made that very clear to him, and after being identified in a lineup, Miranda confessed to the crimes verbally.”

Miranda also wrote a handwritten statement confessing to the crimes.

After the trial, Miranda was found guilty of kidnapping and rape. He was sentenced to 20–30 years on each count.

CARROLL COOLEY – THE DETECTIVE AT THE CENTER

When the case came into the department, it was assigned to Detective Carroll Cooley, an Air Force veteran who had joined the department in April of 1958.

Cooley retired from the department as a captain after a 20‑year career. He served in various roles throughout his tenure and was assigned to the General Investigations Bureau when he received the Miranda case.

Cooley passed away on May 29, 2023, at the age of 87.

THE SUPREME COURT – THE LEGACY

Miranda appealed his conviction, claiming his constitutional rights were violated. The Supreme Court of Arizona held that Miranda’s rights were not violated in obtaining the confession.

“Miranda was initially thought to be a great suspect’s rights case because of the requirement that warnings be given,” shared Paul Ulrich, an attorney on the Miranda case, during a 2023 interview with the police department. “What was not appreciated was that suspects would waive their rights nearly all the time, and so the result was the decision favored law enforcement because it permitted a clear path to obtaining confessions.”

The case was then appealed to the United States Supreme Court, where it was considered alongside three other cases involving suspects who were not informed of their rights before signing confessions used at trial.

During the proceedings, Miranda’s attorneys argued that his handwritten confession should not be admissible and accused Cooley of forging the statement.

“I didn't help him write anything. I asked him to write what he told us and that's all I asked him to do,” said Cooley. “He already told us the full story, and all I said to him was, ‘Ernie, would you write what you just told us on this piece of paper here?’”

On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court ruled that any person in custody must be clearly informed of their right to remain silent and their right to consult an attorney, thus creating the Miranda Rights.

“When I heard it was going to the Supreme Court, I was shocked because I thought we had done everything right. We even told him he did not have to talk to us if he did not want to,” said Cooley. “We never forced anything on anybody.”

That landmark ruling didn’t just reshape American policing; its reach became global. The Library of Congress notes that 108 countries and jurisdictions have since adopted similar protections for individuals during legal investigations.

THE MAN, THE CASE, THE ENDING

In retirement, Cooley volunteered his time at the Phoenix Police Museum, sharing the story of Miranda vs. Arizona.

“I know the story, I lived the story,” said Cooley in the final interview he gave to Phoenix PD's Public Affairs Bureau.

More than a decade after the Supreme Court’s ruling, Miranda was murdered outside a bar in downtown Phoenix.

“I have had a long life, probably longer than I should have, but if he ever comes back to Arizona, I'm going to arrest him for Ernie's homicide,” shared Cooley during that final interview. The suspect in the homicide was never apprehended and was believed to have fled the country.

To learn more about the history of the Phoenix Police Department and this historic case, please visit the Phoenix Police Museum.