A robust showing of either informant reliability or knowledge from the officers can compensate for a deficiency in a respective requirement rather than having to analyze each prong independently.

[1] On April 22, 1987, at approximately 3 PM, the Montgomery, Alabama Police Department received an anonymous tip that Vanessa White would be leaving her apartment at a particular time by driving a brown Plymouth station wagon with a broken right taillight.

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals overturned her conviction on the basis of the informant's shaky credibility and the officers' conclusions from vague observations.

"[3] In a 6–3 decision read by Justice Byron White, the court ruled that the traffic stop and the consent search were based on reasonable suspicion.

[4] Justice John P. Stevens dissented by arguing that the informant did not specify how often she went to the motel and that Officer Davis did not make an effort to verify the veracity of the tip.

Additionally, he feared that police would use the pretext of anonymous tips to conduct warrantless stops on any citizen, though he opined that the majority of law enforcement does not condone this practice.