The following excerpt is from U.S. v. Glover, 957 F.2d 1004 (2nd Cir. 1992):
The standard for determining whether a particular stop was justified by reasonable suspicion is an objective one, see, e.g., United States v. Salazar, 945 F.2d 47, 49 (2d Cir.1991); Villegas, 928 F.2d at 516; United States v. Nersesian, 824 F.2d 1294, 1316 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 958, 108 S.Ct. 357, 98 L.Ed.2d 382 (1987), not dependent on the intentions or motivations of the particular detaining officers. See, e.g., Nersesian, 824 F.2d at 1316. In the case of suspected narcotics trafficking, an officer's suspicion will be reasonable if, considering the totality of the circumstances surrounding the stop, "the conduct would appear suspect to one familiar with the practices of narcotics couriers, albeit the pattern of behavior is innocuous to the untrained observer." Villegas, 928 F.2d at 516 (citation omitted); see also United States v. Price, 599 F.2d 494, 501 (2d Cir.1979).
The above passage should not be considered legal advice. Reliable answers to complex legal questions require comprehensive research memos. To learn more visit www.alexi.com.