Which standard must law enforcement officers meet to justify an investigatory stop?

To justify an investigatory stop, law enforcement officers must meet the standard of reasonable suspicion. This standard is grounded in the Fourth Amendment, which protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures. Reasonable suspicion exists when a law enforcement officer has specific and articulable facts that lead them to believe a person is involved in criminal activity. This threshold is lower than probable cause and is designed to allow officers to take action when they notice behavior that might justify further investigation without needing the evidence required for an arrest.

The concept of reasonable suspicion allows officers to act on their training and experience. For example, if an officer observes a person engaging in suspicious behavior, such as looking into car windows late at night in a neighborhood with a history of theft, the officer can initiate an investigatory stop if those observations might reasonably suggest criminal activity.

This standard is essential for maintaining a balance between the need for law enforcement to act on potentially criminal behavior and the rights of individuals to not be subjected to arbitrary stops.