What must a tip contain and what must the officer do for it to justify a stop?

What must a tip contain and what must the officer do for it to justify a stop?

• A. Tip must include a name and address and the officer must call in backup.
• B. Tip must have sufficient predictive information and must be corroborated.
• C. Tip must be from a verified informant and the officer must arrest immediately.
• D. Tip must include a video and the officer must obtain a warrant.

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is how the source and timing of a tip affect whether a stop can be justified. In this training context, a tip from a verified informant means the source has a track record of reliability, and the information is treated as more trustworthy. When that information indicates something ongoing or imminent, the officer is expected to act promptly to address the situation. That sense of immediacy—coupled with a verified informant—is what the scenario uses to justify a stop, and in those urgent moments, taking immediate action can lead to detaining or arresting if the circumstances give rise to probable cause.

Other options introduce requirements that aren’t the focus of this justification in the scenario: needing a name and address and backup, or requiring a video and a warrant, or insisting on corroboration alone without a verified source. The emphasis here is on the credibility of a verified informant and the immediacy of the information to justify stopping and potential arrest.