Illinois v. Lafayette

In determining whether an inventory search is reasonable under the Fourth Amendment, government interests are balanced against the intrusion on an individual’s Fourth Amendment interests. The government has a legitimate interest in protecting the owner’s property from theft or false claims of theft by persons employed in police activities. A standardized procedure for making an inventory as soon as is reasonable after reaching the station house protects the owner’s property while it is in police custody. The fact that the protection of an arrestee’s property might have been achieved by less intrusive means does not, in itself, render an inventory search unreasonable.