Probable Cause

• Probable cause is the logical belief, supported by facts and circumstances, that a particular person has committed a crime.
  
  

Reasonable Suspicion

• Reasonable suspicion is known as a reasonable presumption that a crime has or will occur. Reasonable suspicion is reached through rational conclusions based on facts or circumstances. This is also referred to as more than a guess but less than probable cause.
  
  

Arrests and Stops

• Probable cause is needed for police to make an arrest. A police officer, however, only needs reasonable suspicion to stop a person and question him.
  
  

Searches

• In order to convince a court to issue a search warrant, law enforcement officials must show probable cause. Police officers, however, are allowed to search for weapons when they stop a person, if they have reasonable suspicion that the person is armed or there is a clear and imminent danger of bodily harm.
  
  

Basic Distinction

• Probable cause is a term used when there is concrete evidence showing a crime has been committed. Reasonable suspicion is a more loosely defined term and is used to justify investigation into suspicious activity when there is a belief that a crime has been committed.