Opinion ID: 718084
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Towing and Inventory

Text: 23 After arresting Smyth the police were entitled to have his car, full of belongings, towed away either for safekeeping, or because it was a hazard, or both. It is clear from the record in this case, including a photograph supplied by Smyth, that the officer's decision to impound the car was reasonable and proper. United States v. Kornegay, 885 F.2d 713, 716 (10th Cir.1989), cert. denied, 495 U.S. 935 (1990); see United States v. Agofsky, 20 F.3d 866 (8th Cir.) (Fourth Amendment does not require police to allow arrested person to arrange for another person to pick up arrested person's car to avoid impoundment and inventory), cert. denied, 115 S.Ct. 280 (1994); United States v. Harvey, 16 F.3d 109 (6th Cir.) (police lawfully exercised their discretion to impound stopped car in absence of any licensed driver to attend to it), cert. denied, 115 S.Ct. 258 (1994); Sammons v. Taylor, 967 F.2d 1533 (11th Cir.1992) (officer may impound vehicle even where vehicle is not impeding traffic or otherwise presenting a hazard so long as decision to impound is made on basis of standard criteria). There is no merit to Smyth's claims that because he parked his car on the 22' 4 wide shoulder of the road, saw no potential robbers in the area, and told the arresting officers a friend would pick up the car, a jury must decide whether his Fourth Amendment right not to have his vehicle seized was violated. 24 Likewise, after Smyth locked his car and refused to cooperate with the police in their removal of the vehicle and inventory of its contents, the officers did not violate his Fourth Amendment rights by using a slim jim to open the car door. 25 The officers were entitled to inventory the contents of the vehicle. Colorado v. Bertine, 479 U.S. 367, 371 (1987). And, contrary to Smyth's argument that an inventory must include every item in the car, down to and including one Reese's Peanut Butter cup, officers are entitled to some latitude by way of general description, and to exercise judgment based on concerns which underlie the reasons for an inventory: to protect property, insure against claims of lost, stolen or vandalized property, and to guard the police from danger. See Florida v. Wells, 495 U.S. 1, 3-4 (1990) ([T]here is no reason to insist that [inventory searches] be conducted in a totally mechanical 'all or nothing' fashion.... The allowance of the exercise of judgment based on concerns related to the purposes of an inventory search does not violate the Fourth Amendment.). 26 The inventory taken here, included as Ex. B to Smyth's cross motion for summary judgment, R. Vol. I at Tab 30, is entirely consistent with the purposes of an inventory search, showing inter alia: engine, battery, radiator, generator, bumpers, stereo, seats, one gray wardrobe with clothing, boxes of miscellaneous books, sleeping bag, box of miscellaneous papers, overnight bag with miscellaneous clothing and toiletry items, brown briefcase with miscellaneous legal documents, numerous cassette tapes, two Craig cassette records, one G.E. tape recorder, and miscellaneous bedding; plus, inventoried into the property section: a TI laptop computer, ac adapter, and computer mouse with miscellaneous cable, along with a brown briefcase with miscellaneous papers. 27 Mr. Smyth's other arguments with respect to the impound, the inventory not being conducted in the presence of the towing operator, the car being left unlocked, and so on, are meritless. We reject those and other arguments on the subjects of towing and inventorying substantially for the reasons set forth in the magistrate judge's recommendation. This conclusion applies as well to Mr. Smyth's speculation that his computer was searched because the battery was down. 28