What major categories are involved in police/suspect encounters?

The major categories involved in police/suspect encounters are accurately represented by voluntary encounters, detentions, and arrests.

Voluntary encounters occur when a police officer initiates contact with an individual without requiring any legal justification. These situations are non-coercive, allowing the individual to leave at any time.

Detentions involve a police officer temporarily holding an individual for questioning based on reasonable suspicion that the person may be involved in criminal activity. This type of encounter is more formal than voluntary encounters and does involve a limitation on the individual's freedom of movement.

Arrests are the most significant type of encounter, where a police officer takes an individual into custody based on probable cause that the person has committed a crime. This category signifies the most serious interaction, as it involves a loss of liberty.

The other options include categories that do not adequately encompass the range of encounters that police officers typically have with suspects. For example, interviews and interrogations are subsets of interactions but do not encompass the broader categories of confrontations. Similarly, stops, searches, and arrests focus more on the activities surrounding enforcement rather than the fundamental nature of the interactions. Lastly, consultations and subpoenas connect more to legal processes rather than direct encounters between police and suspects.