Commonwealth v. Thompson, M., Aplt.

Summary

Justice Wecht dissents, arguing that Pennsylvania’s Constitution guarantees greater privacy rights in automobiles than the federal Fourth Amendment and that inventory searches of impounded vehicles are unconstitutional warrantless searches. He contends the majority should reverse the Superior Court’s affirmation of the conviction and adopt a rule prohibiting inventory searches. The dissent critiques the three justifications for inventory searches and proposes a simple alternative of locking and towing the vehicle without searching it.