In order to detain a person for further investigation, an officer needs reasonable suspicion. Define the standard
Question:
In order to detain a person for further investigation, an officer needs reasonable suspicion. Define the standard "reasonable suspicion." Look at the following three hypotheticals and imagine you are the judge determining whether the officer had a legal basis to continue his investigation. Do you think the officer had reasonable suspicion or not. Don't just say "yes/no" but provide reasons why the fact pattern is or isn't sufficient in each hypothetical.
1) An officer was driving down the street and saw two young men walking alone in an affluent neighborhood at 3 am. He pulled over and stopped to investigate why they were on the street. One said they didn't want to talk to the officer. Does the officer have a right to detain them and continue to investigate?
2) An officer receives a report that two females wearing hoodies were seen vandalizing a park bathroom. The officer arrives at the scene about ten minutes later and goes to the bathroom. He sees that there is paint on the walls, the soap dispensers are broken, and a toilet seat is damaged. The officer drives around the area and sees a group of three females all in hoodies, one carrying a backpack walking two streets away from the park. One of them appears to have blue paint on her hands. He stops and asks to talk to them, and they start to run. Does the officer have reasonable suspicion to detain them and investigate?
3) An officer receives a report of a burglary at the local Maverick. He watches the video surveillance and identifies the suspect as a man named Sean who he knows from a previous investigation. The officer goes to his house to talk to him. Does the officer have reasonable suspicion to detain Sean to investigate the burglary?
Ethics Theory and Contemporary Issues
ISBN: 978-1305958678
9th edition
Authors: Barbara MacKinnon, Andrew Fiala