What does probable cause allow officers to do during an encounter?

Probable cause is a legal standard that requires a reasonable belief, based on facts and circumstances, that a person has committed, is committing, or will commit a crime. In the context of law enforcement, having probable cause allows officers to take significant actions based on this belief.

In particular, when officers establish probable cause regarding an individual, they possess the authority to make an arrest. This means they can lawfully detain the individual and take them into custody, as the evidence available justifies the action beyond mere suspicion. This higher standard of proof is designed to protect individuals from unjustified arrests and ensure that officers are acting on substantiated evidence rather than conjecture or arbitrary judgement.

While other options like initiating investigative detention or conducting a consensual encounter may be actions officers can take under different circumstances, these do not require the higher threshold of probable cause that an arrest does. Probable cause represents a significant escalation in the level of justification required, thus making arresting the individual the correct choice in this scenario.