Police received an anonymous informant’s tip that a motorist would be traveling
ID: 1193493 • Letter: P
Question
Police received an anonymous informant’s tip that a motorist would be traveling down a specific road at a specific time, having left a particularly described home. The anonymous informant also noted that the motorist, who the informant specifically described, would be headed in a particular direction carrying drugs to be delivered to a third party at an apartment building. Acting on the informant’s tip, police observed the motorist exit the home and drive in the direction suggested by the informant. It would be proper for the police to
a. verify some of the informant’s information and, if it checked out, make a stop of the motor vehicle. The police could conduct a brief inquiry of the woman concerning the purpose of her trip and where she was going.
b. immediately stop and arrest the woman for drug trafficking once a some of the details of the informant were verified by police observation.
c. make a stop of the motor vehicle and conduct an immediate search for drugs if police were able to validate some of the informant’s information.
d. follow the motor vehicle and observe its direction but the police could not stop the vehicle based on the anonymous informant’s information.
Explanation / Answer
Option (a).
Based on an anonymous call, police cannot detain, arrest or search for drugs without a warrant issued with the cited purpose, but can only make routine inquiries.