Page 163 - Original 2020 Legal Guide By Jack Ryan

Task: Inventory Search of a Vehicle

South Dakota v. Opperman, 428 U.S. 364 (1976).

When a vehicle is impounded for any reason, an officer may conduct

an inventory search of the vehicle subject to the following limitations:

• The search is in accord with a department policy that does not give

discretion to the individual officer but instead requires an inventory in

cases of impoundment.

• The areas in the vehicle to be searched are spelled out in the

department’s policy on such searches.

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