In this appeal, Timothy Burrows challenges his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). He claims that the .38 caliber revolver which led to his conviction was the fruit of an illegal search. He also submits that the district court erred in denying his motion in limine to suppress the testimony of two government witnesses. With respect to his sentence, Mr. Burrows contends that the district court erred in denying his motion for a downward departure and in ordering him to pay a $1,000 fine. For the reasons that follow, we affirm Mr. Burrows’ conviction and fine. We dismiss for want of jurisdiction his challenge to the district court’s failure to depart downward with respect to the sentence to incarceration.
*1013 I
BACKGROUND
A. Facts
In November 1988, Timothy Burrows and his half-brother, Marvin McLin, allegedly pointed a handgun at Edward Provin outside the apartment of a mutual friend in Rockford, Illinois. Mr. Burrows subsequently hit Provin on the head with the weapon. Mr. Burrows and McLin then forced Walter Fra-sier, Provin’s companion, to drive them away in Frazier’s car. While in the car, either Mr. Burrows or McLin attempted to shoot Frazier in the leg.
On November 29, 1988, the Rockford Police obtained arrest warrants for McLin and Burrows. Officers then proceeded to a public housing project where they suspected the pair were staying; Mr. Burrows’ mother resided there, and informants had told the police that Burrows and McLin were planning to take control of the drug activity in the area. One officer, Officer Vineere, observed a curtain moving in an upstairs window of the apartment belonging to Mr. Burrows’ mother. The curtain was in a room Vineere thought was a bedroom, and he informed the other officers. Burrows and McLin were believed to be located in that two-level apartment. The police knocked at both entrances to this unit and identified themselves. No one opened the doors. After ten to fifteen minutes, the manager of the housing project arrived and attempted, unsuccessfully, to open the doors. During this period, officers heard movement inside the apartment. The police then summoned a locksmith. As he was working on one of the doors, McLin opened it. The police arrested McLin and moved inside.
Officer Vineere observed a flight of stairs leading up. He climbed the stairs and encountered six doors facing the landing. Five were closed; the sixth opened onto the bathroom where Mr. Burrows was sitting. Officer Vineere confronted Mr. Burrows and placed him under arrest. Two other officers, Ekedahl and Forrester, had come upstairs to assist Officer Vineere. Ekedahl, Forrester, and a third officer, who apparently was on the landing as well, decided to open each of the other doors on the landing and to conduct a security sweep. Finding the doors locked, the officers forced them open. Four of the doors led to bedrooms and one opened onto a linen closet. In one bedroom, the police observed, in plain view, a .38 caliber revolver. Mr. Burrows’ fingerprint was discovered on the gun.
B. Earlier Proceedings
1. Suppression Hearing
Mr. Burrows was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. See 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Prior to his trial, Mr. Burrows moved to suppress the handgun on the ground that the police had obtained it through an illegal search. At the suppression hearing, Officers Vineere and Ekedahl indicated that the following factors heightened the officers’ concerns for their safety: the nature of the charge against Mr. Burrows, his prior conviction for a crime involving firearms, the area in which the housing project was located, the fact that, in the officers’ experience, such housing units often contained unauthorized residents, the movement of the curtain in what Vineere believed to be one of the upstairs bedrooms, the probable presence of Mr. Burrows’ mother, and the time delay between the officers’ arrival on the scene and their entry. The officers also testified concerning the nature and duration of the search. Officers Forrester and Vineere testified that the search of the bedrooms and closet began while Mr. Burrows was upstairs; Officer Ekedahl thought that the search began after Officer Vineere had started to lead Mr. Burrows downstairs. Officer Ekedahl also testified that the officers searched the four bedrooms rapidly, one at a time. He later indicated that “[t]he actual search, I believe, probably took around five minutes.” R.50 at 46.
The district court denied Mr. Burrows’ motion and upheld the search on the authority of
Maryland v. Buie,
As an alternative basis for sustaining the officers’ action, the district court examined whether there were sufficient articulable facts which, taken together with reasonable inferences from those facts, would support a reasonable officer’s determination that the rooms ought to be swept for the officer’s protection. The court ruled that the search was valid as a “protective sweep” because the officers reasonably could have believed that the areas they searched harbored a dangerous individual. The district court supported that conclusion by observing first that the officers had some indication that there might be other persons in the apartment. It was known that Mr. Burrows’ mother was the listed occupant of the building. The court commented that the officers had been refused admission to the apartment for a period of twenty to thirty minutes, a factor that might also “indicate to an objective person, to an officer, that someone else might be present.” Id. The court also noted that, while the officers were outside, they had observed movement in the apartment and that this observation also raised the contingency of another person being present. The doors were all locked, observed the court, a factor that also might lead to suspicions on the part of the officers. The court further noted that this apartment was in a high-crime area, a housing project where the presence of unauthorized persons was a frequent occurrence. Moreover, continued the court, the officers were in the process of arresting a defendant, who had a history of violence, for another crime of violence. The possibility of gang activity was also a factor.
2. The Trial
Mr. Burrows filed a motion in limine to exclude the testimony of Provin and Frazier, witnesses the government intended to call to establish that Mr. Burrows had the opportunity to possess a handgun on the day he was arrested. Mr. Burrows argued that the probative value of their testimony that he had threatened them with guns did not outweigh its prejudicial effect. The district court denied his motion. However, at trial it gave limiting instructions to the jury following each witness’ testimony and an additional cautionary instruction after the closing arguments. 2
The jury found Mr. Burrows guilty. During the sentencing phase, he moved for a *1015 downward departure from the recommended guideline range of 235 to 293 months, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 5K2.0. Mr. Burrows contended that both his counsel and the government had believed that he would be sentenced to no more than 15 years. He also claimed that the pre-sentence investigation over-represented his criminal history. The district court denied his motion and sentenced him to 264 months of imprisonment. It also determined that Mr. Burrows, who was represented by appointed counsel and possessed limited financial resources, had no present ability to pay a fine. However, the court ordered a $1,000 fine on the ground that Mr. Burrows could earn money in prison under the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program.
II
ANALYSIS
A. The Protective Sweep
Justice White succinctly defined a “protective sweep” in
Maryland v. Buie,
A “protective sweep” is a quick and limited search of premises, incident to an arrest and conducted to protect the safety of police officers or others. It is narrowly confined to a cursory visual inspection of those places in which a person might be hiding.
Id.
at 327,
[T]he Fourth Amendment would permit the protective sweep undertaken here if the searching officer possessed a reasonable belief based on specific and articulable facts which, taken together with the rational inferences from those facts, reasonably warranted the officer in believing that the area swept harbored an individual posing a danger to the officer or others.
Id. (internal citations and quotations omitted).
The Court made clear in
Buie
that its description of the circumstances in which such a sweep could take place legally was grounded in the Fourth Amendment’s core requirement that such intrusions into the privacy of individuals be reasonable. Thus, the justification for the “protective sweep” is grounded in traditional Fourth Amendment jurisprudence,- and individual applications of the exception must be evaluated in terms of their reasonableness. “The Fourth Amendment bars only unreasonable searches and seizures.”
Id.
at 331,
In determining the reasonableness of a given intrusion, the individual’s interest in the protection of -the Fourth Amendment must be balanced against legitimate governmental interests.
Id.
Under this approach, continued the Court in
Buie,
the search of a home or an office is generally not reasonable unless it is undertaken on the basis of a warrant issued on probable cause. Nevertheless, there are a few narrow and carefully defined situations in which the limited nature of the intrusion and the importance of the governmental interest make neither probable cause nor a warrant necessary. For instance, in
Terry v. Ohio,
Justice White made clear in
Buie
that the same considerations that justify the exceptions in
Terry
and
Long
animate the exception for the “protective sweep.” Law enforcement officers have an interest in ensuring their safety when they lawfully enter a house to effect an arrest. That interest justifies their ensuring that the dwelling does not harbor another person who is dangerous and who unexpectedly could launch an at
*1016
tack. In that context, the Justice noted that the officer is in at least as much danger as the officer in the
Terry
or
Long
situation. The officers are involved in the serious business of arresting an individual; they are in a confined setting on the adversary’s “turf.” “[T]he arresting officers are permitted in such circumstances to take reasonable steps to ensure their safety after, and while making, the arrest.”
Buie,
Buie
makes clear that the “Fourth Amendment permits a properly limited protective sweep in conjunction with an in-home arrest when the searching officer possesses a reasonable belief based on specific and articulable facts that the area to be swept harbors an individual posing a danger to those on the arrest scene.”
Id.
at 337,
*1017 We have reviewed carefully the record in this case and conclude that it supports the determination made by the district court. Although the officers stressed that the violent reputation of the area where the arrest was made increased substantially their apprehension, they also noted that the particular circumstances surrounding the arrest made them especially concerned about their safety. Mr. Burrows and McLin were suspected of committing a violent crime involving a firearm; Mr. Burrows had a history of violent .criminal activity, and the pair was allegedly planning to control the local drug trade. Upon arriving on the scene, Officer Vincere observed movement in an upstairs window. Finally, although the officers repeatedly announced their presence, those in the apartment had refused them entry, yet could be heard moving about inside. Thus, the doors at the second floor landing where Mr. Burrows was arrested gave the officers understandable cause for concern.
In addition, the officers’ search took “no longer than [was] necessary ... to com-píete the arrest and depart the premises.” Although Mr. Burrows claims that the search was too lengthy, the ■ record supports the determination that the search' of the four bedrooms and linen closet, which required the officers to force four locked doors, took no more than five minutes, an interval compatible with the officers’ legitimate purpose. The Supreme Court’s pronouncement in Buie, as well as subsequent caselaw, make it clear, moreover, that the officers had the right to ensure their safety and the safety of everyone else in the area not only during the arrest itself but also during the remainder of the time that they were legally on the premises and its environs. 9
Protective sweeps, as Buie recognizes, are a necessary fact of life in the violent society in which our law enforcement officers must perform the duties of their office. We must also recognize, however, that the sweep is a device that can easily be perverted to achieve ends other than those acknowledged as legitimate in Buie. Given the fact-intensive na *1018 ture of the inquiry and the resulting deferential standard of appellate review, the Constitution depends in large measure on the magistrate judges and the district courts to preserve the balance required by the Fourth Amendment. Their careful, detached and demanding scrutiny is, realistically, the most effective weapon we have against the erosion of the Fourth Amendment.
B. Motion in Limine to Suppress Witnesses’ Testimony
Mr. Burrows next submits that the district court erred in allowing Provin and Frazier to testify concerning the acts (armed robbery, home invasion, and unlawful restraint) that led to his 1988 arrest, and, in turn, to the discovery of the firearm. Mr. Burrows contends that the prejudicial effect of this testimony outweighed its relevance.
See United States v. Zapata,
We review the district court’s evidentiary ruling for abuse of discretion.
United States v. Wilson,
Even if the district court had abused its discretion, Mr; Burrows’ sentence cannot be reversed because any error in admitting this testimony is harmless. The prosecution established that Mr. Burrows was a felon and presented evidence that a .38 caliber revolver, containing Mr. Burrows’ fingerprint, was found in his residence. This evidence alone is more than sufficient for conviction. The admission of the evidence at issue did not produce a jury verdict other than the one that would have been rendered in its absence.
C. The $1,000 Fine
Mr. Burrows contends that the district court erred in imposing a $1,000 fine upon him because the facts demonstrated that he had no ability to pay. He notes that, under U.S.S.G. § 5E1.2, comment, (n. 3), the fact that he was represented by appointed counsel strongly suggests that he had no *1019 ability to pay the fine. He also contends that there is no evidence that he would be able to pay this fine during the twelve-month installment period the Guidelines recommend in eases of financial hardship. See U.S.S.G. § 5E1.2(g). He acknowledges the district court’s finding that he could earn $1,000 through the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program, but contends that this finding is “utterly without legal authority under the sentencing guidelines.” Appellant’s Br. at 25. The government submits that Mr. Burrows waived this claim by not raising it in the district court. The government also points out that the district court considered Mr. Burrows’ present and future ability to pay any fine. Because the district court found that Mr. Burrows could earn money in prison under the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program, contends the government, the court did not err in imposing the $1,000 fine.
Because Mr. Burrows never objected to the imposition of a fine during the sentencing hearing and specifically did not object when the district court actually imposed the $1,000 fine, our review is limited to plain error. Our recent decision in
United States v. Gomez,
D. District Court’s Denial of Downward Departure
Mr. Burrows also argues that the district court erred in denying his motion for a downward departure pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 5K2.0. He cites various factors that the district court allegedly overlooked, including his attorney’s poor advice, his own alleged mental impairment, and the delay in bringing his case to trial. The government argues that we lack jurisdiction because the district court considered Mr. Burrows’ motion for a downward departure and denied it.
The government is correct. The district judge considered Mr. Burrows’ motion for a downward departure, rejected it, and imposed a sentence within the applicable Guideline range. Accordingly, we lack jurisdiction to review the district court’s decision.
United States v. Jones,
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, we dismiss for lack of jurisdiction the part of the appeal that seeks review of the district court’s decision not to depart downward from the applicable guideline range with respect to Mr. Burrows’ sentence to incarceration. In all other re *1020 spects, the judgment of the district court is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
Notes
. The district court found that Mr. Burrows had standing to contest the search because there was sufficient evidence that he was a resident in his mother’s apartment.
. Following Provin's direct examination, the court noted that his testimony:
is admitted and limited only to the question of the opportunity of the defendant to possess the weapon that he is charged with possessing on November 29th, 1988, and it is not admitted for any other purpose. So, you shall not consider it for any other purposes other than the opportunity to possess a weapon that he's charged with possessing on November 29th of 1988.
R.52 at 121. Following Mr. Frazier's direct examination, the court stated:
[T]he events that this witness has testified to are only relevant as to the opportunity to possess the weapon, a weapon that he’s charged with possessing on November 29th, 1988, and for that purpose only.
So, the events are not to be considered by you as evidence of guilt, except as they relate to the opportunity to possess the weapon on the date charged, and they're not to be taken by you as other bad acts on the part of the defendant. You are not to consider them for that purpose, and you must consider it only for the limited purpose that I've told you about.
Id. at 127. At the close of trial, the court again instructed the jury:
You heard evidence of acts of the defendant occurring in mid-November 1988 other than those charged in the indictment. You may consider this evidence only on the question of the opportunity to possess the firearm. This evidence is to be considered by you only for this limited purpose.
R.53 at 172.
. This analytical kinship was recognized by Judge Rovner in
United States v. Arch,
.
See, e.g., United States v. Richards,
.
See, e.g., United States v. James,
.
See Buie,
.
Cf. United States v. Richards,
.
See Arch,
. The Supreme Court stated that the protective sweep may not last longer than the time it takes "to complete the arrest
and depart
the premises.”
Buie,
.
Cf. United States v. Covelli,
. See supra note 2.
.
See United States v. Francisco,
