What standard allows police to stop and briefly detain a person if they have reasonable grounds to suspect involvement in a crime?

• A. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
• B. Reasonable Suspicion
• C. Probable Cause
• D. Vice squad

Answer: (B)

Reasonable suspicion is the threshold that allows a police officer to stop and briefly detain someone when there are specific, articulable facts that, taken together with the circumstances, would lead a reasonable officer to believe the person is involved in criminal activity. This is the basis for a Terry stop and is lower than probable cause, which is needed to arrest or search, and higher than a mere hunch. The stop must be limited in time and scope to allow the officer to confirm or dispel the suspicion. If the suspicion is not confirmed, the person must be released. A vice squad is a specialized unit, not a standard for stopping becomes that the officer must rely on.