What is required to stop a vehicle without a warrant?

To stop a vehicle without a warrant, law enforcement officers must have reasonable articulable suspicion or probable cause. This standard allows officers to take action based on specific, objective facts that would lead a reasonable person to believe that a law is being violated or that criminal activity is occurring.

Reasonable articulable suspicion is a lower standard than probable cause and can be based on observation, experience, or information received. For example, if an officer observes erratic driving behavior, they may have enough suspicion to initiate a stop to investigate further.

While a visible infraction of traffic laws can provide sufficient grounds for a traffic stop, the necessity for reasonable suspicion or probable cause encompasses a broader range of situations. A verbal warning alone does not hold up legally as a basis for stopping a vehicle, nor does relying solely on a tip from an informant, unless such a tip is accompanied by additional corroborating evidence that meets the suspicion threshold. Thus, having reasonable articulable suspicion or probable cause is essential for the legal stopping of a vehicle without a warrant.