People v. Iverson

OPINION OF THE COURT

Ellen M. Yacknin, J.

Introduction

At issue in this action is whether a municipal ordinance that authorizes the police to impound a vehicle when the driver is cited for a minor traffic infraction is delimited by the constitutional proscription against unreasonable searches and seizures. This constitutional issue, one of first impression in New York, arises because defendant was charged with the prohibited possession of a weapon the police found in the trunk of his car after he was ticketed for driving a car with excessive sound and a broken tail lamp. The sole authority for…