Colorado v. Bertine
United States Supreme Court
479 U.S. 367 (1987)
After arresting Bertine (defendant) for driving under the influence, police conducted a standard inventory search of his van before a tow truck arrived, opening a closed backpack found behind the front seat that contained nylon bags with metal canisters holding drugs, drug paraphernalia, and cash; Bertine moved to suppress the evidence, and the trial court found no Fourth Amendment violation but suppressed under the state constitution, while the state supreme court affirmed suppression relying on the Fourth Amendment instead.
Whether a police officer's warrantless inventory search of closed containers inside an automobile, conducted pursuant to an established inventory policy, violates the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.