Chapter 5: Probable Cause and Arrests Flashcards
2 Requirements for an arrest to be reasonable under the 4th Amendment.
If an arrest is reasonable under 4th Amendment.
- Arrest is based on probable cause.
- p.c. can be based on direct observations / hearsay - The arrest must be conducted in reasonable fashion.
Arrest
when a person is lawfully taken into custody by law enforcement.
Formal arrest
when an officer informs you “you are under arrest.”
De Facto Arrest
When an officer doesn’t directly tell you “you are under arrest,” but the totality of circumstances would lead a reasonable person to conclude that you are under arrest.
i.e. being restrained, handcuffed, taken to police station against will.
Probable Cause
When the officer relies on facts within his knowledge and trustworthy information that would lead person of reasonable caution to believe a crime has been / is being committed (and that the person who was arrested committed the crime).
Probable cause is based on “_______________” not “_______________.” It’s just above ______________ _____________ and right below _____________ a ____________ __________.
probabilities; certainties; reasonable suspicion; beyond; reasonable doubt
Think of probable cause as ‘there is at least a ______% likelihood that a certain suspect committed the crime.’
51
Sometimes police officers will evaluate / investigate evidence _____________ using the ___ senses: __________, ________, _________, _________, ___________,
directly; 5; sight; sound; smell; touch; taste
“Collective Knowledge” Theory
Applied by a judge when officers work together, collectively, as a team during investigation.
Says that probable cause can (in conglomeration) be based on collective knowledge of each of the officers in an investigation.
______________ is second-hand information relied on by officers. These statements are often made by___________, ___________, ____________, or ___________ __________ themselves. ____________ are actually (likely) involved in the criminal activity. These statements are based on the ____________ of the person’s ____________ of what happened/occurred at the crime scene. The _______________ of these statements are unknown, but police don’t have a _____________ in deciding whether or not they rely on these statements. If they don’t, it would seem like a failure to fulfill their investigative duties. __________ strictly ___________ hearsay statements in court.
Hearsay; victims; eye-witnesses; informants; police officers; informants; frequency; telling; accuracy; choice; Judges; limit
3 Rules Probable Cause follows in using second-hand information to investigate crime:
1) Citizen Informants:
- Statements by victims, and eyewitness are presumed to reliable trustworthy and constitute probable cause.
- Victims / eyewitnesses are usually interviewed right after the crime–after they have been victimized–and have no reason to lie about what occurred.
2) Police officers:
- Statements by police are accepted as reliable and constitute probable cause.
3) Informants:
- Informants are not presumed to be reliable, and only initiate probable cause in limited circumstances.
- Oftentimes involved in crime.
- Could have self-interested motifs, hoping their cooperation would lead to a plea bargain for them.
Requiring _____________ to testify in court would likely ______________ them from providing information to law enforcement since they don’t get to keep their ______________.
informants; discourage; anonymity
Informant Privilege
informant not required to testify (to maintain anonymity)
Aguilar-Spinelli Test
Two prong test
1) Veracity Prong
- Police must show that info from the informant relied upon has been accurate in the past.
- Another indicator of reliability is that the informant is willing to expose himself to criminal liability. (oftentimes trying to get a pleas bargain / deal w/ officers for crimes he’s committed).
2) Basis-of-Knowledge-Prong
- Police must figure out where an information obtained his evidence.
- (Was the informant an eyewitness, or did he engage in criminal activity himself?)
Bonus: Police officer must independently corroborate an informant’s tip that is vague.
The Aguilar Spinelli Test was eventually _____________ in favor of the ____________ of ______________ test, a decision made in 1983 in Illinois v. Gates. Ultimately, the ___________ ___________ test was too _______________, and not every case where an officer relies on an ___________’s tip can __________ fit the standard. It simply became to technical.
abandoned; Totality; circumstances; Aguilar-Spinelli; demanding; informant’s; easily
Reasonableness and Arrests:
Warrants: there are __________ requirements for issuance of warrants.
Arrest and Warrants: some _____________ have to be made w/ a __________.
Arrests in Home: All ___________ in home have to be made with a _____________.
Exigent Circumstances: There is some ____________ ___________s exception to the requirement of needing a warrant to make arrest in the _________.
Arrests and force: Police are allowed to exercise __________ ___________ in making arrests.
Misdemeanors, citations, and arrests: States and localities may authorize _____________ for ______________.
strict
arrest; warrant
arrests; warrant;
exigent circumstances; home
reasonable force
arrests; misdemeanors
Arrest Warrant
Warrant issued by judge or magistrate, to arrest an individual suspected of crime.
Establishes probable cause to arrest individual(s).