Under the Fourth Amendment's inventory exception, when may police conduct an inventory search of a vehicle?

• A. Upon booking into incarceration.
• B. Upon impounding of vehicles.
• C. Upon traffic stop.
• D. Only with a search warrant.

Answer: (B)

Inventory searches are allowed when a vehicle is in police custody and has been impounded, with the search conducted under standard procedures to inventory the vehicle’s contents. This purpose is to secure property, prevent claims of theft, and ensure safety, and it does not require a warrant as long as the procedures are followed. A traffic stop alone typically does not trigger an inventory search, and a vehicle inventory is not required to occur only at booking or by warrant. Therefore, the appropriate time for an inventory search of a vehicle is upon impounding.