He appeals the denial of his suppression motion. When we review a motion to suppress evidence, we will uphold a circuit court's findings of fact unless they are clearly erroneous. However, the application of constitutional principles to the facts as found is a question of law that we decide without deference to a circuit court's decision. The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. U.S. Const. amend.
Statements given and items seized during a period of illegal detention are inadmissible.
However, an investigative detention is not unreasonable if it is brief in nature and justified by a reasonable suspicion that the motorist has committed or is about to commit a crime. The same standards that have been established for a stop challenged under the Fourth Amendment apply to a stop challenged under art. The question of what constitutes reasonable suspicion is a common sense test. The test is designed to balance the personal intrusion into a suspect's privacy occasioned by the stop against the societal interests in solving crime and bringing offenders to justice. Niehoff argues that Zimmerman did not have reasonable suspicion that he had committed or was about to commit a crime.