In which case was the "public safety" exception to the Miranda rights applied?

The "public safety" exception to the Miranda rights was established in the case of New York v. Quarles. In this landmark decision, the Supreme Court recognized that law enforcement officials could bypass the Miranda warning in situations where public safety is at risk and the need for immediate action outweighs the procedural safeguards associated with custodial interrogation.

In Quarles, the police apprehended a suspect who had been seen with a firearm in a grocery store. When they confronted him, he was not given the Miranda warnings before the officers asked him where the gun was located. The Court ruled that the immediate threat posed by the firearm justified the officers' questions without the usual Miranda advisement, emphasizing the importance of the public's safety in that moment.

This case set a significant precedent allowing law enforcement to prioritize safety over protocol when circumstances warrant such deviation, thereby creating a narrowly defined exception to the Miranda rule. Other case options provided, including Miranda v. Arizona, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Katz v. United States, do not relate to the public safety exception but instead address different aspects of rights and procedures surrounding police interrogations and searches.