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CA7: Reasonable suspicion stops can be based on a completed felony, not just on ongoing one

By John Wesley Hall, Jr.

Reasonable suspicion stops can be based on a completed felony, not just on ongoing one. United States v. Bullock, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 1986 (7th Cir. February 1, 2011): Bullock contends that for officers to detain him pursuant to Terry there must be “a basis for believing that the person is engaging (present tense) in criminal activity or is about to be engaged (future tense) in criminal activity.” Reply Br. 3. However, officers can stop and detain a suspect for reasonable suspicion that the suspect has engaged in a completed felony. United States v. Hensley, 469 U.S. 221, 229, 105 S. Ct. 675, 83 L. Ed. 2d 604 (1985) (“[I]f police have a reasonable suspicion, grounded in specific and articulable facts, that a person they encounter was involved in ...continue to full post

Full post as published by Fourth Amendment on February 03, 2011 (boomark / email).