Outcomes of investigative detentions.

• A. The detainee may be arrested if there is probable cause.
• B. The object may be permanently seized if there is probable cause.
• C. The person or object must be released if there is no sign of unlawful activity.
• D. The detention can be extended indefinitely.

Answer: (C)

Investigative detentions are brief, for the purpose of briefly checking whether unlawful activity is occurring, based on reasonable suspicion. The stop must be temporary and limited in scope, and it ends as soon as suspicion is dispelled or there is clear evidence one way or another. If nothing indicates unlawful activity during the stop, the person and any held item should be released. That’s the insured outcome because the authority to detain is restricted to a short, specific purpose and cannot persist without justification.

If there is probable cause to believe a crime has occurred, the situation changes: the person may be arrested, and officers may seize evidence or property with proper legal authority. But simply having the capacity to arrest or seize after probable cause does not make the detention itself extendable indefinitely or guarantee permanent seizure without appropriate process.