Also known as: reasonable suspicions
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A Fourth Amendment standard permitting a brief investigative detention when an officer possesses a particularized and objective basis for suspecting that a specific person is engaged in criminal activity. The standard is assessed under the totality of the circumstances and may rest on a combination of factors that individually appear innocent. It authorizes limited intrusions such as a stop or a frisk for weapons when the officer also reasonably believes the person is armed and dangerous.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Rosa Ruiz received an anonymous call reporting that a man in a red jacket would exit a specific apartment building at 8 p.m., enter a waiting car, and drive to a known drug location. Officers observed the exact sequence unfold. They detained the man for questioning. The accurate prediction of future conduct supplied the particularized suspicion needed for the brief stop.
Renee Rogers checked a suitcase at the airport after agents observed her nervous behavior and a short turnaround itinerary. Officers detained the bag for 45 minutes while a narcotics dog was summoned. The limited duration and scope of the detention satisfied the reasonable suspicion standard for holding personal effects.
Ronald Reed arrived on a same-day cash ticket, carried only a small bag, and paced nervously near a known smuggling corridor. Officers combined these observations with intelligence about recent smuggling activity. The aggregate circumstances created reasonable suspicion justifying a brief detention and pat-down.
Rhea Reynolds, a high school principal, received a report that student Rita Russell possessed cigarettes in violation of school rules. Reynolds opened Russell's purse and discovered marijuana. The reasonable suspicion standard permitted the limited search to maintain school discipline.
Robert Rivera and another man repeatedly walked past a store window, peered inside, and conferred in a manner consistent with casing the premises. An officer with local experience approached and conducted a brief stop. The observed behavior supplied the articulable facts required for reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.
Rising Sun Electronics driver Ronald Reed was stopped on reasonable suspicion of drug activity. The officer observed a large knife on the floorboard and reasonably believed the passenger compartment might contain additional weapons. A limited search of the passenger area was permissible under the reasonable suspicion standard.
Reasonable suspicion requires only a particularized and objective basis to suspect criminal activity and supports brief investigative stops. Probable cause requires facts sufficient for a prudent person to believe a crime has been committed and supports arrest or a full search. The lower threshold allows limited intrusions without a warrant when officers act on articulable facts.
Supporting sources
An anonymous tip can support reasonable suspicion when it bears sufficient indicia of reliability, especially if it accurately predicts the suspect's future movements or conduct. Courts examine the totality of circumstances, including any corroboration by officers. A bare tip lacking predictive details or reliability indicators is ordinarily insufficient.
…John W. Terry, was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon after a police officer stopped him and two others based on reasonable suspicion that they were casing a store for a robbery. The officer patted down their outer clothing and discovered a pistol on Terry. The Ohio courts rejected Terry’s motion to suppress the weapon as…
…have jurisdiction under 28 U. S. C. § 1257. II On the merits, we hold that the search was valid. The officers had reasonable suspicion that the respondent was armed and dangerous. The limited search of the passenger compartment was therefore permissible. The marijuana discovered in the trunk was properly admitted into…
…§ 647(e) requires that an individual provide "credible and reliable" identification when requested by a police officer who has reasonable suspicion of criminal activity sufficient to justify a Terry detention.[^maj-5] People v. Solomon , 33 Cal. App. 3d 429, 108 Cal. Rptr. 867 (1973). "Credible and reliable" identification is…
…by school officials, it held that a school official may properly conduct a search of a student's person if the official has a reasonable suspicion
…from the evidence, redefines “predisposition,” and introduces a new requirement that Government sting operations have a reasonable suspicion
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Yes, officers may briefly detain luggage based on reasonable suspicion that it contains contraband, provided the detention is limited in scope and duration. A prolonged detention without escalating to probable cause violates the Fourth Amendment. Exposure to a narcotics dog during a brief detention is not a search.
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Reasonable suspicion is judged under the totality of the circumstances. Officers may aggregate individually innocuous factors such as travel itinerary, method of payment, nervous behavior, and location when those factors collectively suggest criminal activity. Association with a profile neither establishes nor negates suspicion by itself.
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School officials may search a student's person or belongings when they have reasonable suspicion that a violation of law or school rules has occurred or that the search is needed to maintain discipline. The standard is lower than probable cause because of the special needs of the school environment.
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During a lawful Terry stop of a vehicle, officers may conduct a limited search of the passenger compartment if they have reasonable suspicion that the occupant is armed and dangerous. The search must be confined to areas where a weapon could be hidden and is justified by officer safety concerns.
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