What generally triggers a "Terry stop"?

A "Terry stop" is a temporary detention of a person based on a law enforcement officer's reasonable suspicion that the individual is involved in criminal activity. This concept is derived from the landmark Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio, which established that an officer can stop and briefly detain a person for investigative purposes if they have specific and articulable facts leading them to suspect that the person may be involved in criminal behavior.

Reasonable suspicion is less than probable cause, which is needed for an arrest, but it requires more than a vague hunch or unparticular suspicion. Factors contributing to reasonable suspicion can include the officer's training, experience, observations, and contextual information about the situation. This legal framework allows officers to take proactive measures to ensure public safety based on their judgment in light of the circumstances they observe.

The other options do not accurately reflect the standard required for a Terry stop. Direct visual proof or definitive evidence of a crime indicates a higher threshold, which typically leads to probable cause necessary for making an arrest rather than just a stop. A call from dispatch concerning a suspect may provide background information, but by itself does not establish the individualized suspicion required to justify a Terry stop unless it aligns with specific observations made by the officer.