Which legal standard is used to determine if police can stop a suspect?

The legal standard used to determine if police can stop a suspect is reasonable suspicion. This standard allows law enforcement officers to initiate a stop based on specific and articulable facts that lead them to believe that a crime may be afoot or that a person may be involved in criminal activity. Reasonable suspicion is a lower standard than probable cause, which is required for making an arrest or obtaining a search warrant.

In the context of a stop, reasonable suspicion can arise from various factors such as the behavior of the individual, the time of day, location, and any other relevant circumstances that an officer can observe or deduce. This framework ensures that officers can act on their instincts and training when they have a legitimate concern for public safety while still requiring them to have some factual basis for their suspicions. The other standards, like probable cause, beyond a reasonable doubt, and clear and convincing evidence, are applicable in different legal contexts, such as arrests and trials, but do not pertain to the immediate stop of a suspect.