What is reasonable in terms of appropriate police action or what constitutes probable cause varies with each situation and different facts may justify an investigation, a detention, a search, an arrest, or no action at all. The requirement that legal justification be present imposes a limitation on an officers action. In every case, an officer must act reasonably within the limits of authority as defined by statute and judicial interpretation, thereby ensuring that the rights of both the individual and the public are protected.
Last Edited: March 21, 2017