Opinion ID: 2777005
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to inventory loose items

Text: Williams additionally argues that the police officers’ failure to inventory all of the loose items of minimal value in the car was a violation of procedure and rendered the search invalid. However, this court has held that “[c]ompliance with procedures merely tends to ensure the intrusion is limited to carrying out the government’s caretaking function. This does not mean that inventory searches are always unreasonable when standard procedures are not followed.” Mayfield, 161 F.3d at 1145 (internal citation omitted). Unless a minor deviation from procedure supports an argument that the inventory search was merely a pretext for looking for evidence, -6- the search will be deemed valid. Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806, 816 (1996) (explaining that a deviation from procedures alone does not prove pretext). Williams fails to identify which loose items were not inventoried or to explain how their absence from the inventory list suggests an improper motive for the search. The district court properly rejected this argument.