United States V. Arvizu - The Court's Ruling

The Court's Ruling

The Court reiterated that when reviewing courts make reasonable suspicion determinations, they must look at the totality of the circumstances to see if the officer had a particularized and objective basis for suspecting a person of committing a crime. According to the Court, the approach taken by the Ninth Circuit, in which it found that seven of Stoddard's ten reasons were susceptible of an innocent explanation, did not examine the totality of the circumstances and thus ran counter to the de novo review that the Court had previously ruled should apply to appellate review of reasonable suspicion determinations. For Arvizu to slow down, stiffen his posture, and avoid making eye contact was suspicious in an area like southeastern Arizona where most drivers are courteous and polite to other drivers. Furthermore, the children had obviously been coached to wave at Stoddard as he was driving by. Taken together, these factors suggest that Stoddard reasonably suspected Arvizu was engaged in criminal activity.