Reasonable suspicion is the legal standard for detention and a traffic stop. Probable cause is the legal standard for a traffic stop. Reasonable suspicion for a stop is a less demanding standard than probable cause not only in the sense that reasonable suspicion can be established with information that is different in quantity or content than that required to establish probable cause, but also in the sense that reasonable suspicion can arise from information that is less reliable than that required to show probable cause. Baptiste v. State, 995 So. 2d 285 (Fla. 2008). The standards for reasonable suspicion have been interpreted by the Supreme Court. States can provide additional protection but cannot provide less protection than that allowed by the federal constitution.



