What types of facts can police use to establish probable cause without a warrant?

Probable cause is a standard used in criminal law that refers to the reasonable belief, based on facts, that a crime has been committed or that evidence of a crime is present in a certain location. When it comes to establishing probable cause without a warrant, police can rely on officer knowledge and corroborated evidence.

This means that if law enforcement officers have firsthand knowledge from their training, experience, or observations, or if they can corroborate information received from a reliable source, they can establish probable cause. For instance, if an officer observes suspicious behavior consistent with drug dealing and corroborates this with a reliable informant's information, this combination can effectively satisfy the probable cause requirement.

In contrast, the other options do not fulfill the criteria for establishing probable cause. Eyewitness accounts might not always be reliable on their own if they lack corroboration or are from an unverified source. Plausible deniability and random stops do not meet the legal thresholds required for probable cause, as law enforcement cannot simply stop individuals without legitimate reasons or specific factual grounds. Lastly, public rumors and speculation are not reliable forms of evidence and cannot be used to establish probable cause, as they lack the verifiable and factual basis required in law enforcement practices.

Therefore