Category: Probable Cause

There must be probable cause or reasonable suspicion for a police officer to initiate an investigatory stop of a vehicle. Absent a warrant for a search or arrest, there must be some basis known to the officer for believing an occupant of a vehicle may have committed or may be about to commit a crime,

Before a person may be arrested for a crime, there must be probable cause to believe that the person has committed a crime for which an arrest can occur. The information must be reasonably trustworthy. The information can be presented to a judge or magistrate who can then issue an arrest warrant. But police officers