probable cause determination

Probable cause determination is the legal process police and prosecutors use to decide if there’s enough evidence to justify formally charging someone with a crime or obtaining a search warrant. It means they have enough facts and reasonable belief that a crime has been committed and that the person involved is connected to it. This standard helps protect individual rights by ensuring actions like arrests or searches are based on solid, credible evidence rather than just suspicion or guesswork. Essentially, it's a check to make sure there's a reasonable basis for taking serious legal actions.