Legal Definitions - Whiteley rule

The Whiteley rule, also known as the fellow-officer rule, is a principle in criminal procedure that allows an investigative stop or an arrest to be considered valid even if the law enforcement officer lacks personal knowledge to establish reasonable suspicion or probable cause. This is as long as the officer is acting on the knowledge of another officer and the collective knowledge of the law enforcement office.

For example, if Officer A receives information from Officer B that a suspect has committed a crime and is currently in a certain location, Officer A can make an arrest without personally witnessing the crime or having direct knowledge of the suspect's actions. This is because Officer A is acting on the collective knowledge of the law enforcement office.

The Whiteley rule is important in allowing law enforcement officers to work together and share information to effectively investigate and prevent crime. However, it is also important to ensure that officers are not relying solely on hearsay or unreliable sources of information when making arrests or conducting searches.