CRJ325 Reasonable Suspicion Versus Probable Cause Template Instructions For each of the 10 scenarios: Determine whether reasonable suspicion or probable cause applies. Justify your determination. Note: The first scenario is completed for you as a guide to completing the remaining nine scenarios. Remember to use SWS to properly cite your sources. Scenario Reasonable Suspicion or Probable Cause? Justification Example Scenario: A police officer sees a vehicle leaving an alley which is a known narcotics area. Each week, police officers make several arrests in this alley. The officer stops the vehicle, contacts the driver, and retrieves his ID. The officer asks the subject why he was in that area. The subject states, “It’s none of your business.” The officer runs the subject for wants and warrants. The check comes back, and the officer determines the subject has two misdemeanor warrants. Reasonable Suspicion In this scenario, the officer used reasonable suspicion to stop the vehicle. Officers may use reasonable suspicion when criminal activity is suspected in a known narcotics area. Officers may also be use reasonable suspicion when the public calls tips into the police or when another officer alerts the department to potential criminal activity in an area. After the traffic stop in this scenario, legal searches and arrests would be considered lawful. Probable cause indicates a higher level of certainty and legal vigor. Scenario 1: A police officer sees a vehicle leaving an alley which is a known narcotics area. Each week, police officers make several arrests in this alley. The officer stops the vehicle, contacts the driver, and retrieves his ID. The officer asks the subject why he was in that area. The subject states, “It’s none of your business.” While standing at the vehicle’s window, the officer notices a plastic bag on the passenger floorboard with what appears to be a white powdery substance. The officer orders the driver out of his vehicle, handcuffs him, and detains him in her police vehicle. Later the substance was determined to be powder cocaine. Scenario 2: A police officer sees a vehicle leaving an alley which is a known narcotics area. Each week, police officers make several arrests in this alley. The officer stops the vehicle, contacts the driver, and retrieves his ID. The officer asks the subject why he was in that area. The subject states, “I was visiting a friend and got lost.” The officer asks the subject to step out of the car. While doing a pat down frisk for weapons (officer safety), the officer finds a loaded handgun tucked inside the subject’s waist band. The officer arrests the subject for felony possession of a firearm. Scenario 3: A police officer sees a vehicle leaving an alley which is a known narcotics area. Each week, police officers make several arrests in this alley. While leaving the area, the subjects fails to stop at a stop sign and proceeds through. The officer stops the vehicle, contacts the d.

1. CRJ325
Reasonable Suspicion Versus Probable Cause Template
Instructions
For each of the 10 scenarios:
Determine whether reasonable suspicion or probable cause
applies.
Justify your determination.
Note:
The first scenario is completed for you as a guide to completing
the remaining nine scenarios.
Remember to use SWS to properly cite your sources.
Scenario
Reasonable Suspicion or Probable Cause?
Justification
Example Scenario: A police officer sees a vehicle leaving an
alley which is a known narcotics area. Each week, police
officers make several arrests in this alley. The officer stops the
vehicle, contacts the driver, and retrieves his ID. The officer
asks the subject why he was in that area. The subject states,
“It’s none of your business.” The officer runs the subject for
wants and warrants. The check comes back, and the officer
determines the subject has two misdemeanor warrants.
Reasonable Suspicion
In this scenario, the officer used reasonable suspicion to stop
the vehicle. Officers may use reasonable suspicion when
criminal activity is suspected in a known narcotics area.
Officers may also be use reasonable suspicion when the public
calls tips into the police or when another officer alerts the
department to potential criminal activity in an area. After the
traffic stop in this scenario, legal searches and arrests would be
considered lawful.

2. Probable cause indicates a higher level of certainty and legal
vigor.
Scenario 1: A police officer sees a vehicle leaving an alley
which is a known narcotics area. Each week, police officers
make several arrests in this alley. The officer stops the vehicle,
contacts the driver, and retrieves his ID. The officer asks the
subject why he was in that area. The subject states, “It’s none of
your business.” While standing at the vehicle’s window, the
officer notices a plastic bag on the passenger floorboard with
what appears to be a white powdery substance. The officer
orders the driver out of his vehicle, handcuffs him, and detains
him in her police vehicle. Later the substance was determined to
be powder cocaine.
Scenario 2: A police officer sees a vehicle leaving an alley
which is a known narcotics area. Each week, police officers
make several arrests in this alley. The officer stops the vehicle,
contacts the driver, and retrieves his ID. The officer asks the
subject why he was in that area. The subject states, “I was
visiting a friend and got lost.” The officer asks the subject to
step out of the car. While doing a pat down frisk for weapons
(officer safety), the officer finds a loaded handgun tucked
inside the subject’s waist band. The officer arrests the subject
for felony possession of a firearm.
Scenario 3: A police officer sees a vehicle leaving an alley
which is a known narcotics area. Each week, police officers
make several arrests in this alley. While leaving the area, the
subjects fails to stop at a stop sign and proceeds through. The
officer stops the vehicle, contacts the driver, and retrieves his
ID. The officer asks the subject why he was in that area. The
subject states, “I was visiting a friend and got lost.” The officer
decides to search the vehicle for narcotics. He asks the driver
whether he can search his car. The driver says, “No.” The

3. officer searches it anyway and finds a bag of narcotics on the
back seat. He arrests the driver for possession of narcotics and
writes him a citation for going through the stop sign.
Scenario 4: An officer finds a man wandering behind a building
at midnight. The officer also notes a window has been broken in
the back of the building where the subject was standing. The
officer suspects this man broke the window to gain entry. She
arrests the subject. While searching the subject, the officer
finds narcotics in his pocket. She arrests him for attempted
burglary and possession of narcotics.
Scenario 5: A woman walks down a shopping aisle in a retail
store and picks up an item. She turns the corner, and the item is
missing.
Scenario 6: An officer is following a car on the highway and
sees the car “weaving” in the lane from white line to yellow
dotted line.
Scenario 7: Two police officers are on a stakeout. They see two
men running out of a gas station. The men get in separate cars
and drive away. The officers determine a robbery occurred at
the gas station. They put out a verbal broadcast to all units. A
pair of patrol officers believe they see a car matching the
description. They pull the vehicle over and arrest the driver for
robbery.
Scenario 8: A game warden is patrolling at night for poachers.
The warden sees a pickup truck come out of the woods. The
officer follows the car and gets close enough to see a smear of

4. blood on the bumper.
Scenario 9: Two undercover gang officers spot two subjects in a
known gang area. They have been looking for one of the men
who is wanted for murder. The killer has a tattoo of the devil on
his right shoulder. The officers stop the two subjects and search
them. The officers ask the subjects to remove their shirts. One
of the subjects has a tattoo of the devil on his shoulder. The
officers arrest this man for murder.
© 2020 Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document
contains Strayer University Confidential and Proprietary
information and may not be copied, further distributed, or
otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed
written permission of Strayer University.
Page 2 of 7
image1.png