State v. Morris

Justice NEHRING,

opinion of the Court:

INTRODUCTION

1 1 This appeal concerns the constitutionality of a police officer's actions during a traffic stop. Specifically, we consider what an officer must do when he stops a driver based on an objectively reasonable belief that a traffic violation has occurred, but before approaching the driver the officer learns he was mistaken about the grounds for the stop. We hold that when an officer acting in good faith is reasonably mistaken about the grounds for a traffic stop, he may initiate contact with the driver to explain his mistake and to end the stop,…