Also known as: field stops · field interview · Terry stop
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A brief investigative detention of a person by police officers on the basis of reasonable suspicion that criminal activity is afoot. The detention permits limited inquiry and, when justified by additional facts, a protective frisk for weapons.
Frank Fisher received an anonymous tip that a software engineer would leave a co-working space at 8 p.m., drive a blue hatchback two blocks east, and exchange stolen code in a parking garage. Officers observed the engineer follow that exact sequence. They stopped the car for investigation because the accurate prediction of future conduct supplied the required indicia of reliability.
Francois Fortier watched a pickup park behind a remote equipment shed at dawn and its driver crouch with a hose at the fuel spigot while a second person stood lookout. Drawing on prior investigations of diesel thefts, the deputy inferred the conduct matched known siphoning patterns rather than routine maintenance. The deputy stopped the pair for questioning.
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An anonymous tip supports reasonable suspicion when it accurately predicts the suspect's future movements or conduct that officers later observe. That predictive accuracy indicates the tipster possesses inside knowledge of criminal activity rather than merely reporting innocent facts visible to any bystander.
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An officer may draw on specialized training and experience to interpret seemingly innocuous conduct as indicative of criminal activity. The totality-of-the-circumstances test permits inferences that would not be obvious to an untrained observer when those inferences rest on specific and articulable facts.
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No. A tip that only identifies visible characteristics and current location lacks the predictive detail or other indicia of reliability needed to create reasonable suspicion. Officers must have additional facts showing inside knowledge of criminal activity before conducting the stop.
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