Final answer:
An officer can arrest someone without observing all elements of a crime if the circumstances provide a reasonable belief that an offense is happening or has occurred. This legal authority is based on the standard of probable cause or reasonable suspicion found in cases such as 'Terry v. Ohio' and is especially relevant in suspected felony cases without a warrant.
Step-by-step explanation:
An officer can make an arrest without observing the defendant carry out every element of the crime, as long as the circumstances give the officer reasonable belief that an offense is occurring or has occurred.
This concept is based on the standard of probable cause, which is crucial for warrantless arrests, especially when a felony is suspected.
Situations where the police have a reasonable suspicion based on the evidence at hand can also lead to a stop and frisk, like in the landmark case Terry v. Ohio, without necessarily witnessing each element of the alleged crime.
In the case of a suspected felony, police are allowed to arrest someone without a warrant if there is probable cause to believe a crime has been committed.
For minor crimes or misdemeanors, officers can arrest individuals if the officer directly witnesses the crime.
This principle is embedded in the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures and is further clarified through various court decisions, including those that address the rights of the accused during police interrogations, such as Vignera v. New York, Westover v. United States, and California v. Stewart.
correct b) Without