Legal News

New Supreme Court vehicle search limits forces Inland police to adapt

By Richard Binder

In the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that limited officers' ability to search the vehicle of someone they have arrested who poses no threat, Inland police agencies find they may have to revamp some policies.

Critics argue the ruling means officers will be less safe, and weapons that would have been found during such vehicle searches will now remain on the street and lead to other crimes.

One impact of the ruling could be an increase in the number of vehicles that are impounded by police, since officers routinely conduct "inventory searches" of vehicles that are towed away after the driver is arrested. Officers, who often have the option of leaving the vehicle or impounding it, could seek ways to get around the ruling by opting to tow vehicles, a move that will allow them to search the cars and trucks of suspects.

Riverside sheriff's Investigator Marc Bender, who has been a law enforcement officer for more than two decades, said he expects there to be more impounded vehicles but little impact from the ruling. "It's good law. It was not a political decision," he says.

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Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on May 04, 2009 (boomark / email).