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Reasonable Suspicion

Definition

A lower standard of evidence than probable cause, requiring specific and articulable facts that would lead a reasonable officer to suspect criminal activity. It is the standard for Terry stops (brief investigatory detentions) and is what the Petitioner argued the Montana Supreme Court improperly applied to justify the home entry.

Examples

  • The Montana Supreme Court's language about 'objective, specific, and articulable facts from which an experienced officer would suspect' was criticized as a reasonable suspicion standard

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