A suspect was arrested for burglarizing an apartment. He was…
A suspect was arrested for burglarizing an apartment. He was duly given Miranda warnings, and invoked his right to remain silent. When the suspect was put into the lockup, the police took from him his wallet, watch, and other personal possessions. Following standard procedure, a police officer immediately began to make an inventory of the suspect’s personal effects. During the course of the inventory, the officer noticed that the suspect’s watch bore an inscription with the name of a person whose apartment had been burglarized two days earlier. The officer concluded that the suspect had probably burglarized that apartment as well as the one for which he was arrested. She reported the inscription on the watch to the detective who had arrested the suspect, and the suspect was subsequently charged with the earlier burglary as well. Did the officer violate the suspect’s constitutional rights by reading the inscription?