Opinion ID: 1185641
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: inventory search of locked trunk

Text: After impoundment was ordered, a complete inventory search was made by Trooper O'Neill pursuant to the standard procedure of the state patrol. In the locked trunk of the vehicle the trooper discovered a shopping bag of drugs in which he found a small toiletry kit also containing some drugs. While there is nothing in the record to disclose the basis for the state patrol standard inventory procedure, it is reasonable to assume it was based, at least in part, on the views expressed by this court in State v. Gluck, 83 Wn.2d 424, 518 P.2d 703 (1974). In that case this court stated: We do not, however, feel that the state's assertion that the search was justified as an inventory of the vehicle and its contents prior to impoundment is a valid one in this context. While we have long recognized inventory searches as a practical necessity, State v. Montague, 73 Wn.2d 381, 438 P.2d 571 (1968); State v. Olsen, 43 Wn.2d 726, 263 P.2d 824 (1953); State v. Patterson, 8 Wn. App. 177, 504 P.2d 1197 (1973); State v. Jones, 2 Wn. App. 627, 472 P.2d 402 (1970); State v. Potts, 1 Wn. App. 614, 464 P.2d 742 (1969), we have also insisted that they be conducted in good faith for the purposes of (1) finding, listing, and securing from loss during detention, property belonging to a detained person, (2) protecting police from liability due to dishonest claims of theft, and (3) protecting temporary storage bailees against false charges. State v. Montague, supra at 385-87; State v. Michaels, 60 Wn.2d 638, 644-46, 374 P.2d 989 (1962). The record here reveals merely that the officers at trial asserted that they pulled an inventory search of the vehicle for personal property. The record does not indicate that the officers made a complete list of other items in the vehicle nor was it asserted that the officers completely searched, both under the hood and in the trunk, the entire vehicle after they found the incriminating bag. Without more, it cannot fairly be characterized as an inventory search. (Italics mine.) Gluck, at 428-29. I believe the reference to under the hood is based upon the holding in State v. Olsen, 43 Wn.2d 726, 263 P.2d 824 (1953). The reference to in the trunk apparently is based upon the decision of the Court of Appeals in State v. Potts, 1 Wn. App. 614, 464 P.2d 742 (1969). In affirming the trial court in the instant case, Division Two of the Court of Appeals recognized the purposes of an inventory search as stated in State v. Gluck, supra , and State v. Montague, 73 Wn.2d 381, 438 P.2d 571 (1968), and the impact of the United States Supreme Court's opinion in South Dakota v. Opperman, supra : In order to effectuate these purposes, it was necessary for the police to check the car's trunk as well as its interior. We are aware of narrow interpretations of South Dakota v. Opperman, supra , wherein the Supreme Court upheld an inventory search of an unlocked glove box. However, we find nothing in Opperman which would invalidate our previous holding that inventory searches of locked trunks are constitutionally permissible. State v. Potts, 1 Wn. App. 614, 464 P.2d 742 (1969). See also Annot., 48 A.L.R.3d 537 (1973). State v. Houser, 21 Wn. App. 30, 34, 584 P.2d 410 (1978). Without considering Potts, without reference to the description of an inventory search in Gluck, and without citation of supporting authority, the majority establishes a new standard governing the scope of inventory searches. The majority has reached the conclusion that an officer may not examine the locked trunk of an impounded vehicle in the course of an inventory search absent a manifest necessity for conducting such a search. Anticipating the obvious question, the majority states in footnote 5: We need not speculate the circumstances which would constitute a manifest necessity justifying the inventory search of a locked trunk without the owner's consent. The court's single-minded emphasis in formulating this new standard is that the trunk of an automobile presents no great danger of theft. I disagree. To forbid entry into the trunk as part of a routine inventory search frustrates the very purpose of the inventory, since the trunk is a likely place for valuables to be stored. Accord, State v. Ruffino, 94 N.M. 500, 612 P.2d 1311 (1980). Unlike the majority's analogy to automobiles with locked trunks left on city streets, an impounded vehicle is more susceptible to theft because it is unattended for perhaps a number of days at a storage lot. [8] More importantly, however, the majority fails to take into consideration the other objectives in conducting an inventory ( i.e., the protection of public safety and the protection of the police from danger or from liability for claimed thefts. See South Dakota v. Opperman, 428 U.S. 364, 369, 49 L.Ed.2d 1000, 96 S.Ct. 3092 (1976); State v. Gluck, supra ). Finally, in formulating this new standard, the majority has brought about a subtle shift in emphasis away from a balancing of the competing interests in light of all of the facts and circumstances of a particular case toward compliance with a nebulous per se standard of law upon which the majority declines to elaborate. I agree that the majority need not engage in any speculation on what constitutes manifest necessity. On the other hand, the majority need not and should not reach the issue. It appears that the majority has established a new standard that will require interpretation by trial judges in future cases without any guidance from the majority. The burden of proof is not simply one of necessity but of manifest necessity. As far as I am aware, no other court has adopted such a standard. [9] I believe the inventory of items in the locked trunk of the vehicle ostensibly belonging to Anthony Kimber (and driven by defendant) was conducted in good faith, pursuant to standard state patrol practices, for the purposes recognized in State v. Montague, supra , and was reasonable and, therefore, constitutional under the facts of this case. See State v. Gluck, supra ; State v. Potts, supra .