State v. Daniel S. Iverson

¶ 1. This is a review of an unpublished decision of the court of appeals, State v. Iverson, No. 2014AP515-FT, unpublished slip op. (Wis. Ct. App. Oct. 9, 2014), which affirmed the order of the La Crosse County circuit court1 granting defendant Daniel S. Iverson's ("Iverson") motion to suppress evidence of drunk driving obtained by an officer of the state traffic patrol during a traffic stop of Iverson's vehicle.

¶ 2. Iverson asserts that the officer lacked authority to seize Iverson's vehicle to investigate the violation of a state statute prohibiting littering, Wis. Stat. § 287.81 (2011-12).2 Iverson argues in the alternative that the officer lacked probable cause or reasonable suspicion that a violation of the littering statute had occurred.

¶ 3. The central issue before us in this case is whether the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 11 of the Wisconsin Constitution permit an officer of the state traffic patrol to stop a vehicle based solely on the officer's observation of the commission of a non-traffic civil forfeiture offense by an occupant of that vehicle.

¶ 4. We conclude that: (1) the Wisconsin Legislature has explicitly authorized state troopers to conduct traffic stops in order to investigate violations of Wis. Stat. § 287.81 and to arrest violators of the statute under specified conditions; (2) a traffic stop to enforce § 287.81 is generally reasonable if an officer has probable cause or reasonable suspicion that a violation of § 287.81 has occurred; (3) discarding a cigarette butt *310onto a highway violates § 287.81; and (4) based on his observations, the officer in this case had probable cause to believe that an occupant of Iverson's vehicle had violated § 287.81 by throwing a cigarette butt onto the highway.

¶ 5. The defendant's motion to suppress evidence obtained during this traffic stop and to dismiss this case should have been denied. We reverse the decision of the court of appeals and remand the case to the circuit court for reinstatement of charges and further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

¶ 6. On January 9, 2014, Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper Michael Larsen ("Trooper Larsen") testified at a hearing on Iverson's motion to suppress evidence. The following facts are taken from his testimony.

¶ 7. On September 18, 2013, at about 1:00 a.m., Trooper Larsen was traveling northbound on Rose Street in the City of La Crosse. He observed a silver jeep in front of him drift within its lane toward the centerline and back. The vehicle did not cross the centerline or strike the curb. The vehicle approached an intersection secured by a flashing yellow traffic light. Although there was no traffic at the intersection, the vehicle came to a complete stop at the light before continuing past the intersection. The vehicle then arrived at a second flashing yellow light. Again, despite a lack of traffic at the intersection, the vehicle stopped at the light before continuing north. Trooper Larsen testified that at this point in time he did not feel that *311he possessed the reasonable suspicion necessary to conduct a traffic stop.3

¶ 8. Trooper Larsen then observed a cigarette butt "being thrown from the passenger side of the vehicle." The cigarette butt hit the ground and scattered ashes across the right lane of the road. After crossing an overpass, Trooper Larsen initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle. Trooper Larsen testified that the reason for the stop was the ejection of the cigarette butt from the vehicle he had been following. He relied upon Wis. Stat. § 287.81, entitled "Littering," which states in relevant part:

[A] person who does any of the following may be required to forfeit not more than $500:

(a) Deposits or discharges any solid waste on or along any highway, in any waters of the state, on the ice of any waters of the state or on any other public or private property.

(b) Permits any solid waste to be thrown from a vehicle operated by the person.

Wis. Stat. § 287.81(2)(a)-(b). Trooper Larsen informed the driver of the vehicle, Iverson, that a cigarette butt had been thrown out of Iverson's vehicle. Iverson denied knowledge, but the passenger admitted responsibility and stated that he had not known that the action was illegal.

¶ 9. Trooper Larsen eventually cited Iverson for operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant, in violation of Wis. Stat. *312§ 346.63(l)(a), and operation of a motor vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration, first offense, in violation of § 346.63(l)(b).4

II. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

¶ 10. On October 17, 2013, Iverson pleaded not guilty to the violations alleged in the traffic citations he had received. On December 27, 2013, Iverson filed a motion to suppress any and all evidence obtained following the stop of his vehicle and to dismiss the case. At the January 9,2014 hearing on the motion, the La Crosse County circuit court granted Iverson's motion. The court stated:

[Trooper Larsen] wasn't stopping [Iverson] to cite him for the litter. He was stopping him to see if he was a drunk driver.... The litter is the excuse, and if that cigarette butt comes out of the driver's side, I'm with you, Trooper ... but not out of the passenger side.

On January 14, 2014, the court entered an order granting the motion to suppress evidence and to dismiss the case. On February 26, 2014, the State filed a notice of appeal.

¶ 11. On October 9, 2014, the court of appeals affirmed the circuit court's order on different grounds. It found that "an articulable suspicion or probable cause of violation of a forfeiture that is not a violation of a traffic regulation is [not] sufficient justification for a warrantless seizure of a citizen." See State v. Iverson, No. 2014AP515-FT, unpublished slip op., ¶ 11 (Wis. Ct. App. Oct. 9, 2014).

¶ 12. In reaching its conclusion, the court of appeals first examined Wis. Stat. § 968.24, which it *313properly characterized as a "legislative codification" of Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968). Iverson, No. 2014AP515-FT, unpublished slip op., ¶ 6; see State v. Post, 2007 WI 60, ¶ 11, 301 Wis. 2d 1, 733 N.W.2d 634. The statute authorizes law enforcement officers to conduct temporary questioning without arrest "when the officer reasonably suspects that such a person is committing, is about to commit or has committed a crime." Wis. Stat. § 968.24.

¶ 13. The court of appeals further noted that Wis. Stat. § 345.22 permits warrantless arrests for violations of traffic regulations. Iverson, No. 2014AP515-FT, unpublished slip op., ¶ 10. The court of appeals reviewed our decision in State v. Popke, 2009 WI 37, 317 Wis. 2d 118, 765 N.W.2d 569, where we held that "[e]ven if no probable cause exist[s], a police officer may still conduct a traffic stop when, under the totality of the circumstances, he or she has grounds to reasonably suspect that a crime or traffic violation has been or will be committed." Id., ¶ 8 (quoting State v. Popke, 2009 WI 37, ¶ 23, 317 Wis. 2d 118, 765 N.W.2d 569) (emphasis added) (citation omitted).

¶ 14. Finally, the court of appeals quoted from one of its own decisions, State v. Krier, 165 Wis. 2d 673, 478 N.W.2d 63 (Ct. App. 1991), in which it had held that where an individual's conduct might constitute either a civil forfeiture or a crime, depending on the nature of the conduct and on whether the individual is a repeat offender, "|j]ust as there is no prohibition for stopping [an individual] because the behavior may end up being innocent, there is also no prohibition for stopping because the behavior may end up constituting a mere forfeiture." Id., ¶ 12 (quoting State v. Krier, 165 Wis. 2d 673, 678, 478 N.W.2d 63 (Ct. App. 1991)).

*314¶ 15. The court of appeals reasoned that, because littering in violation of Wis. Stat. § 287.81 is not a crime or traffic violation,5 neither Terry, nor Wis. Stat. § 968.24, nor Wis. Stat. § 345.22, nor Popke authorized Trooper Larsen's stop. Id., ¶¶ 8-10, 13. Additionally, the court of appeals read the language in Krier to imply that conduct potentially resulting only in a "mere forfeiture" does not warrant a traffic stop. The court therefore affirmed suppression of the evidence gathered by Trooper Larsen. Id., f ¶ 12, 14.

¶ 16. On December 19, 2014, the State filed a petition for review in this court. On March 16, 2015, we granted the petition.

III. STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 17. "Our review of an order granting or denying a motion to suppress evidence presents a question of constitutional fact." State v. Robinson, 2010 WI 80, ¶ 22, 327 Wis. 2d 302, 786 N.W.2d 463 (citation omitted). Similarly, "[w]hether there is probable cause or reasonable suspicion to stop a vehicle is a question of constitutional fact." Popke, 317 Wis. 2d 118, ¶ 10 (citations omitted).

¶ 18. "When presented with a question of constitutional fact, this court engages in a two-step inquiry. First, we review the circuit court's findings of historical *315fact under a deferential standard, upholding them unless they are clearly erroneous. Second, we independently apply constitutional principles to those facts." Robinson, 327 Wis. 2d 302, ¶ 22 (citations omitted).

¶ 19. This case also requires us to interpret and apply Wis. Stat. § 287.81 and other relevant statutes. "Statutory interpretation and application present questions of law that we review de novo while benefiting from the analyses of the court of appeals and circuit court." 118th St. Kenosha, LLC v. DOT, 2014 WI 125, ¶ 19, 359 Wis. 2d 30, 856 N.W.2d 486 (citations and internal quotation marks omitted).

¶ 20. "[Statutory interpretation 'begins with the language of the statute. If the meaning of the statute is plain, we ordinarily stop the inquiry.' Statutory language is given its common, ordinary, and accepted meaning, except that technical or specially-defined words or phrases are given their technical or special definitional meaning." Milwaukee City Hous. Auth. v. Cobb, 2015 WI 27, ¶ 12, 361 Wis. 2d 359, 860 N.W.2d 267 (quoting State ex rel. Kalal v. Circuit Court for Dane Cnty., 2004 WI 58, ¶ 45, 271 Wis. 2d 633, 681 N.W.2d 110) (internal quotation marks omitted). "The context and structure of a statute are also important to the meaning of a statute." Noffke ex rel. Swenson v. Bakke, 2009 WI 10, ¶ 11, 315 Wis. 2d 350, 760 N.W.2d 156 (citing Kalal, 271 Wis. 2d 633, ¶ 46).

IV. ANALYSIS

¶ 21. Iverson's citation for drunk driving gives rise to the issues before the court because he contends that the stop was in violation of his constitutional *316rights. Specifically, Iverson argues that the citations cannot stand because Trooper Larsen was without legal authority to stop Iverson's vehicle based solely upon violation of the littering statute, a non-traffic civil forfeiture law. In addition, Iverson argues that the conduct upon which Trooper Larsen based the stop did not violate the littering statute. In other words, we must address whether Trooper Larsen was endowed with the legal authority to stop Iverson's vehicle after observing a cigarette butt being thrown onto a highway from the vehicle. Consequently, the focus of this opinion centers upon whether this conduct constitutes "littering" so as to justify this traffic stop and whether this traffic stop can be based upon violation of this non-traffic civil forfeiture law.

¶ 22. As it relates to the constitutional issues now before this court, Iverson does not contend that he otherwise has a viable defense to the drunk driving charges. Similarly, he does not assert that we should undertake a traditional totality of the circumstances test so to evaluate whether his driving on that particular evening would otherwise justify a traffic stop. Indeed, if we were to analyze the totality of the circumstances of the stop at issue, we might not reach the question before the court, and that analysis would only serve to restate longstanding legal principles. See, e.g., Post, 301 Wis. 2d 1, ¶¶ 12-13; State v. Malone, 2004 WI 108, ¶¶ 21-24, 274 Wis. 2d 540, 683 N.W.2d 1. Thus, we neither accept nor reject the officer's stated belief that he was without reasonable suspicion to conduct a traffic stop before the alleged littering occurred.

¶ 23. Our method of inquiry is shaped by a few important considerations. First, Trooper Larsen, an officer of the state traffic patrol, stopped Iverson's *317vehicle in order to enforce Wis. Stat. § 287.81. Second, Wis. Stat. § 110.07 delineates the powers and duties of officers of the state traffic patrol. And third, the automobile stop at issue must not be constitutionally unreasonable under the circumstances. See Popke, 317 Wis. 2d 118, ¶ 11 (citation omitted).

¶ 24. Therefore, in order to determine the lawfulness of Trooper Larsen's traffic stop, we analyze two statutory questions and two constitutional questions: (1) whether throwing a cigarette butt onto a highway constitutes a violation of Wis. Stat. § 287.81; (2) whether Trooper Larsen possesses authority under Wis. Stat. § 110.07 to conduct warrantless traffic stops as a means of enforcing § 287.81; (3) whether a state traffic patrol officer may conduct a warrantless traffic stop based on probable cause or reasonable suspicion that a violation of a non-traffic civil forfeiture law has occurred; and (4) whether Trooper Larsen possessed probable cause or reasonable suspicion that a violation of § 287.81 had occurred.

A. Statutory Authority to Conduct the Traffic Stop

1. Whether Throwing a Cigarette Butt onto a Highway Violates Wis. Stat. § 287.81

¶ 25. Iverson argues that throwing a cigarette butt onto a highway does not violate Wis. Stat. § 287.81. Although the statute prohibits the depositing or discharge of "solid waste" onto a highway, Iverson claims that a cigarette butt is not "solid waste" under the statute. We disagree.

¶ 26. Wisconsin Stat. § 287.81 states in relevant part: "[A] person who does any of the following may be required to forfeit not more than $500: (a) Deposits or *318discharges any solid waste on or along any highway.. . ."6 Wis. Stat. § 287.81(2) — (2)(a).

¶ 27. The definitional provision of the chapter within which Wis. Stat. § 287.81 falls defines "solid waste" as having "the meaning given in s. 289.01(33)." Wis. Stat. § 287.01(10). Wisconsin Stat. § 289.01(33) reads:

"Solid waste" means any garbage, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant or air pollution control facility and other discarded or salvageable materials, including solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous materials resulting from industrial, commercial, mining and agricultural operations, and from community activities, but does not include solids or dissolved material in domestic sewage, or solid or dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or industrial discharges which are point sources subject to permits under ch. 283, or source material, as defined in s. 254.31(10), special nuclear material, as defined in s. 254.31(11), or byproduct material, as defined in s. 254.31(1).

Wis. Stat. § 289.01(33) (emphasis added). "Garbage" and "refuse" each also possess unique definitions. Garbage "means discarded materials resulting from the handling, processing, storage and consumption of food." § 289.01(9). Refuse "means all matters produced from industrial or community life, subject to decomposition, not defined as sewage." § 289.01(28).

*319¶ 28. One could easily spend all day exploring Wis. Stat. § 289.01(33)'s various nooks and crannies, but we need not stop to ponder whether cigarette butts are "subject to decomposition," § 289.01(28), or "resulto . . . from community activities," Wis. Stat. § 289.01(33), because cigarette butts manifestly constitute "other discarded . . . materials."

¶ 29. "Judicial deference to the policy choices enacted into law by the legislature requires that statutory interpretation focus primarily on the language of the statute. We assume that the legislature's intent is expressed in the statutory language." Kalal, 271 Wis. 2d 633, ¶ 44. And "[i]f the meaning of the statute is plain, we ordinarily stop the inquiry. Statutory language is given its common, ordinary, and accepted meaning, except that technical or specially-defined words or phrases are given their technical or special definitional meaning." Id,., ¶ 45 (citations and internal quotation marks omitted).

¶ 30. To "discard" means "to drop, dismiss, let go, or get rid of as no longer useful, valuable, or pleasurable." Webster's Third New International Dictionary 644 (1961).7 Cigarette butts are perhaps a paradigmatic example of "discarded" materials under this definition, as they are the abandoned remains of cigarettes, items that were once (at least to their users) useful, valuable, and pleasurable.

¶ 31. "Material," the singular of "materials," id. at 1392, is a broad and indefinite word. One sense of the word, and the sense that we find most plausible *320here, is "the whole or a notable part of the elements or constituents or substance of something physical. .. Id. Viewed in isolation, this definition clearly supports inclusion of cigarette butts within the phrase "discarded . . . materials." Nevertheless, a nebulous term like "materials" draws meaning from its context, so we further analyze the passage to confirm the word's import.

¶ 32. Iverson points to the list introduced by the phrase "other discarded . . . materials, including" and asserts that cigarette butts do not fall within any of the ensuing enumerated items. But even if a cigarette butt did not constitute "solid . . . materials resulting from industrial, commercial, mining and agricultural operations, and from community activities" — a proposition we find doubtful given consideration of the manufacture, sale, and use of cigarettes — the "including" clause does not exhaust the possible applications of "other discarded . . . materials." See, e.g., Liebovich v. Minnesota Ins. Co., 2008 WI 75, ¶ 26, 310 Wis. 2d 751, 751 N.W.2d 764 ("The presence of a comma and the word 'including' in [the phrase] indicates that the word 'including' is not meant to reference an exhaustive list."); Federal Land Bank of St. Paul v. Bismarck Lumber Co., 314 U.S. 95, 100 (1941) ("[T]he term 'including' is not one of all-embracing definition, but connotes simply an illustrative application of the general principle.").

¶ 33. The longstanding canon of construction "ejusdem generis" supports our analysis. This canon "instructs that when general words follow specific words in the statutory text, the general words should be construed in light of the specific words listed." State v. Quintana, 2008 WI 33, ¶ 27, 308 Wis. 2d 615, 748 *321N.W.2d 447 (citation omitted). The specific words "garbage," "refuse," and "sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant or air pollution control facility" do not so limit the more general phrase "other discarded . . . materials" that cigarette butts are of necessity excluded. In fact, these specific terms clarify that the definition encompasses more conventional items like cigarette butts.

¶ 34. The definition of garbage, for example ("discarded materials resulting from the handling, processing, storage and consumption of food," Wis. Stat. § 289.01(9)), suggests inclusion of objects such as fast food wrappers and paper napkins. The definition of refuse ("all matters produced from industrial or community life, subject to decomposition, not defined as sewage," § 289.01(28)) apparently contemplates objects of both a specialized nature ("industrial" refuse) and of a more ordinary nature ("community life" refuse); into this latter category might fall objects such as newspapers and food waste, items likely found in vehicles throughout the state. The final term, "sludge," indicates materials of a specialized nature. The statute's specific enumerations thus run the gamut from ordinary to specialized waste; they do not provide reason to omit cigarette butts from the broad category of "discarded materials."8

*322¶ 35. The most natural reading of "other . . . discarded materials" affords the definition of "solid waste" a broad sweep, but it is not within our province to artificially limit the obvious reach of a statute without adequate reason. "It is the court's role, in the context of statutory interpretation, to give effect to legislation unless we find that the legislature could not have intended the absurd or unreasonable results a statute appears to require." Johnson v. Masters, 2013 WI 43, ¶ 20 n.12, 347 Wis. 2d 238, 830 N.W.2d 647. It is hardly absurd for a statute entitled "Littering" to prohibit disposal of cigarette butts onto the state's roads.9 Therefore, we will simply give effect to the statute's natural meaning.

¶ 36. At the circuit court, Iverson's attorney submitted an affidavit that stated in part:

I have never in my legal experience had a call from or represented someone who was cited for littering or any other offense due to the throwing of a cigarette butt. In fact, I have witnessed hundreds of cigarette butts on the grounds outside our office, along the *323streets near our office and outside of taverns and other businesses located in downtown La Crosse and have never heard of anyone being cited for such disposal of cigarette butts.

If the image of masses of cigarette butts strewn throughout the streets of a Wisconsin city is meant to suggest that the disposal of cigarette butts along highways is somehow a de minimis offense under Wis. Stat. § 287.81, it fails to persuade. The cumulative effect of improper waste disposal is a demonstrable example of why littering is problematic. The statement from the affidavit merely highlights the ills that the statute seeks to rectify by its plain terms.

¶ 37. In any event, the structure of the statute demonstrates that the legislature could easily have created a quantitative threshold for the littering offense but did not. Wisconsin Stat. § 287.81(2m) imposes a larger forfeiture of $1,000 on "a person who deposits any large item on or along any highway . . . ." Wis. Stat. § 287.81(2m). "Large item" is defined in the statute as "an appliance, an item of furniture, a tire, a vehicle, a boat, an aircraft, building materials, or demolition waste." § 287.81(l)(as). The legislature thus considered quantity terms but did not set an amount necessary to trigger the statute, something the legislature has proven itself capable of doing in other contexts. See, e.g., Wis. Stat. §§ 348.15-348.16 (setting pound-specific vehicle weight limitations).

¶ 38. We conclude that discarding a cigarette butt onto a highway violates Wis. Stat. § 287.81.

*3242. Whether Trooper Larsen is Statutorily Authorized to Conduct Traffic Stops to Enforce Wis. Stat. § 287.81

¶ 39. Iverson asserts that Trooper Larsen is without legal authority to effectuate this stop. However, the plain meaning of Wis. Stat. § 110.07, "Traffic officers; powers and duties," instructs otherwise. The statute states in relevant part:

Members of the state traffic patrol shall:

1. Enforce and assist in the administration of.. . [Wis. Stat.§]287.81 ....

3. Have authority to enter any place where vehicles subject to this chapter, ss. 167.3 l(2)(b) to (d) and 287.81 and chs. 194, 218 and 341 to 350 are stored or parked at any time to examine such vehicles, or to stop such vehicles while en route at any time upon the public highways to examine the same and make arrests for all violations thereof.

Wis. Stat. § 110.07(l)(a)l., (a)3. (emphases added).

¶ 40. The statute further grants officers of the state traffic patrol "the arrest powers of a law enforcement officer under [Wis. Stat. §] 968.07, regardless of whether the violation is punishable by forfeiture or criminal penalty." Wis. Stat. § 110.07(2m).

¶ 41. The authority of state troopers is also addressed in Wis. Stat. ch. 23, entitled "Conservation." Specifically, Wis. Stat. § 23.58 authorizes "an enforcing officer"10 to "stop a person in a public place for a *325reasonable period of time when the officer reasonably suspects that such person is committing, is about to commit or has committed a violation of those statutes enumerated in s. 23.50(1)" and to "demand the name and address of the person and an explanation of the person's conduct." Wis. Stat. § 23.58.11 Wisconsin Stat. § 287.81 is one of the statutes enumerated in Wis. Stat. § 23.50(1). Wis. Stat. § 23.50(1).

¶ 42. Finally, Wis. Stat. §§ 23.56 and 23.57 provide certain authority to conduct arrests, both with and without warrants, for violations of the statutes listed in Wis. Stat. § 23.50(1).12

¶ 43. In sum, the Wisconsin Legislature has explicitly authorized state troopers to conduct traffic stops in order to investigate violations of Wis. Stat. § 287.81 and to arrest violators of the statute under specified conditions. Trooper Larsen therefore possessed statutory authority to stop Iverson's vehicle *326upon witnessing the disposal of a cigarette butt onto the highway. Whether the stop was constitutionally reasonable, however, is the question to which we now turn.

B. Constitutional Authority to Conduct the Traffic Stop

1. Whether a State Traffic Patrol Officer May Conduct a Warrantless Traffic Stop Based on Probable Cause or Reasonable Suspicion that a Violation of a Non-Traffic Civil Forfeiture Law Has Occurred

¶ 44. A state traffic patrol officer's traffic stop of a vehicle is a "seizure" of "persons" under the Fourth Amendment.13 See Popke, 317 Wis. 2d 118, ¶ 11 (citations omitted). "An automobile stop must not be unreasonable under the circumstances. A traffic stop is generally reasonable if the officers have probable cause to believe that a traffic violation has occurred, or have grounds to reasonably suspect a violation has been or will be committed." Id. (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). The issue before us is whether it is reasonable to effectuate a stop for a non-traffic civil forfeiture offense.

¶ 45. The court of appeals below concluded that a traffic stop may not be premised solely on a non-traffic civil forfeiture offense. In other words, even if an officer observes a violation of the littering statute, the officer *327is without legal authority to stop the vehicle. Examining our statement in Popke that "a police officer may . . . conduct a traffic stop when, under the totality of the circumstances, he or she has grounds to reasonably suspect that a crime or traffic violation has been or will be committed," Popke, 317 Wis. 2d 118, ¶ 23 (emphases added) (citation omitted), the court of appeals seemingly concluded that in order to so effectuate a stop, the officer must be granted specific authority under Wis. Stat. § 968.24 ("Temporary questioning without arrest" to investigate suspected criminal activity) or Wis. Stat. § 345.22 ("Authority to arrest without a warrant" for violations of traffic regulations).

¶ 46. The opinion of the court of appeals does not consider, however, whether Wis. Stat. § 110.07 ("Traffic officers; powers and duties") or Wis. Stat. § 23.58 ("Temporary questioning without arrest" to investigate suspected violations of certain enumerated statutes, including Wis. Stat. § 287.81), impact the analysis.14

¶ 47. Under the court of appeals' interpretation, an officer would be required to sit idly by even if an individual threw an entire bag of garbage out of a vehicle's window, simply because littering is a non-*328traffic civil forfeiture offense.15 Neither Wis. Stat. § 968.24, nor Wis. Stat. § 345.22, nor Popke require this conclusion. Although § 968.24 and § 345.22 pertain only to crimes and violations of traffic regulations, neither statute forecloses traffic stops to enforce non-traffic civil forfeiture offenses. Similarly, while Popke analyzed an officer's authority to effectuate traffic stops for crimes and for violations of traffic regulations, Popke, 317 Wis. 2d 118, ¶¶ 23, 28, our statement in Popke that "a police officer may . .. conduct a traffic stop when, under the totality of the circumstances, he or she has grounds to reasonably suspect that a crime or traffic violation has been or will be committed," id., ¶ 23 (emphasis added) (citation omitted), did not purport to circumscribe the universe of possible scenarios within which traffic stops permissibly may occur, or to make such limits contingent on whether *329the legislature has titled a particular law a "traffic regulation." The facts in Popke involved a stop based on criminal and traffic offenses, not a non-traffic civil forfeiture offense. Thus, the language in Popke was limited to the issue then before the court. The question of whether a non-traffic civil forfeiture offense can justify a vehicular stop is before the court today.

¶ 48. Iverson would attach constitutional significance to the legislature's categorization of civil forfeitures as either traffic-related or non-traffic-related, with the effect of limiting the ability of law enforcement officers to administer laws that the legislature saw fit to enact. But the legislature did not place any such limits on law enforcement.

¶ 49. Some civil violations, such as littering, can occur whether or not a vehicle is involved. Indeed, the legislature may have found characterization of Wis. Stat. § 287.81 as a "traffic regulation" improper simply because not all littering is done on the roads; the prohibition contained in the statute applies to all areas of Wisconsin, not just the state's highways. See Wis. Stat. § 287.81(2)(a). Perhaps the legislature found it more appropriate to classify the littering offense as one pertaining to "Solid Waste Reduction, Recovery and Recycling," Wis. Stat. ch. 287, and group it with similar legislation, see Wis. Stat. ch 280 ("Pure Drinking Water") and Wis. Stat. ch. 285 ("Air Pollution"), rather than with the traffic laws. Whatever the reason for Wis. Stat. § 287.81's separation from the traffic laws, the legislature did not limit the littering statute to just one domain. Instead, the broad language of the statute applies to Wisconsin's highways and the state traffic patrol has been given authority to enforce it under Wis. *330Stat. § ll0.07(l)(a)l.16 The statute's classification as traffic-related or not does not by itself provide grounds for departure from our usual Fourth Amendment analysis. "We cannot accept that the search and seizure protections of the Fourth Amendment. . . can be made to turn upon such trivialities." Whren v. U.S., 517 U.S. 806, 815 (1996) (Fourth Amendment protections not dependent on whether officers followed police enforcement practices).

¶ 50. If we otherwise analyze the reasonableness of this traffic stop, not in terms of the traditional totality of the circumstances test based on Iverson's driving on the evening in question, but more abstractly, in terms of whether a traffic stop for littering is ever reasonable, we arrive at the conclusion that such a stop is reasonable. See, e.g., Popke, 317 Wis. 2d 118, ¶ 11; see also Pennsylvania v. Mimms, 434 U.S. 106, 108-09 (1977). We judge reasonableness in this context by "balancing] . . . the public interest and the individual's right to personal security free from arbitrary interference by law officers." See Malone, 274 Wis. 2d 540, ¶ 21 (quoting Mimms, 434 U.S. at 109).

*331¶ 51. "A routine traffic stop ... is a relatively brief encounter and 'is more analogous to a so-called "Terry stop". . . than to a formal arrest.'" Knowles v. Iowa, 525 U.S. 113, 117 (1998) (citation omitted); see also Malone, 274 Wis. 2d 540, ¶ 24 (analogizing traffic stops and Terry stops).

¶ 52. We clarified last term that "reasonable suspicion that a traffic law has been or is being violated is sufficient to justify all traffic stops," State v. Houghton, 2015 WI 79, ¶ 30, 364 Wis. 2d 234, 868 N.W.2d 143, and noted that, "[i]n at least some circumstances, reasonable suspicion that a non-traffic-related law has been broken may also justify a traffic stop." Id,., ¶ 30 n.6. After reviewing the decisions of the federal courts of appeals, we reasoned that the brief nature of traffic stops, "weighed against the public interest in safe roads," warranted our conclusion. See id., ¶ 30.

¶ 53. The current case features a violation of a law applicable to the state's highways and statutorily enforceable by the state's traffic patrol. Enforcement of the law conceivably helps keep the state's roads safe.17 In addition, we note that the legislature has specifi*332cally defined the terms according to which officers may briefly detain potential violators of Wis. Stat. § 287.81. Our approval of the traffic stop at issue is therefore not at odds with Houghton. A reasonable suspicion that a violation of the littering statute, § 287.81, has occurred justifies a brief and limited traffic stop. The more onerous standard of probable cause would also therefore justify a traffic stop. See Houghton, 364 Wis. 2d 234, ¶ 21.

¶ 54. We have already held, more broadly, that "arrests for civil forfeitures are not per se unconstitutional." State v. Pallone, 2000 WI 77, ¶ 43, 236 Wis. 2d 162, 613 N.W.2d 568 (open intoxicants in a motor vehicle), overruled on other grounds by State v. Dearborn, 2010 WI 84, 327 Wis. 2d 252, 786 N.W.2d 97; see also City of Milwaukee v. Nelson, 149 Wis. 2d 434, 456, 439 N.W.2d 562 (1989) (loitering).18 Neither are traffic *333stops to enforce civil forfeiture laws per se unconstitutional, even when those laws are not technically "traffic regulations." As we intimated in Popke, this court has no authority to decide which laws "are sufficiently important to merit enforcement." See Popke, 317 Wis. 2d 118, ¶ 19 (quoting Whren, 517 U.S. at 819). We entrust that task to "the good sense (and, failing that, the political accountability)" of our lawmakers and law enforcers. Atwater v. City of Lago, 532 U.S. 318, 323-24, 353-54 (2001) (applying usual probable cause standard to warrantless arrests for violation of misdemeanor of failing to wear seatbelt).

¶ 55. We conclude that a traffic stop to enforce Wis. Stat. § 287.81 is generally reasonable if an officer has probable cause or reasonable suspicion that a violation of § 287.81 has occurred.

2. Whether Trooper Larsen had Probable Cause or Reasonable Suspicion that a Violation of Wis. Stat. § 287.81 Had Occurred

¶ 56. "Probable cause refers to the 'quantum of evidence which would lead a reasonable police officer to believe' that a traffic violation has occurred." Popke, 317 Wis. 2d 118, ¶ 14 (quoting Johnson v. State, 75 Wis. 2d 344, 348, 249 N.W.2d 593 (1977)). "The evidence need not establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt or even that guilt is more probable than not, but rather, probable cause requires that 'the information lead a reasonable officer to believe that guilt is more than a possibility.' "Id. (quoting Johnson, 75 Wis. 2d at 348-49).

*334¶ 57. Trooper Larsen testified that he witnessed a vehicle drift within its lane and twice come to a complete stop at a flashing yellow light despite the absence of traffic.19 He then saw a cigarette butt "being thrown from the passenger side of the vehicle." The cigarette butt hit the ground and scattered ashes across the right lane of the road.

¶ 58. It is a violation of Wis. Stat. § 287.81 to "[d]eposit[] or discharge [] any solid waste on or along any highway. . . ." Wis. Stat. § 287.81(2)(a). We conclude that, based on his observations, Trooper Larsen had probable cause to believe that an occupant20 of Iverson's vehicle had violated § 287.81 by throwing a cigarette butt onto the highway.

¶ 59. Because Trooper Larsen's traffic stop was based on probable cause, we need not consider whether *335he also possessed reasonable suspicion that a violation of the littering statute had occurred.

V. CONCLUSION

¶ 60. We conclude that: (1) the Wisconsin Legislature has explicitly authorized state troopers to conduct traffic stops in order to investigate violations of Wis. Stat. § 287.81 and to arrest violators of the statute under specified conditions; (2) a traffic stop to enforce § 287.81 is generally reasonable if an officer has probable cause or reasonable suspicion that a violation of § 287.81 has occurred; (3) discarding a cigarette butt onto a highway violates § 287.81; and (4) based on his observations, Trooper Larsen had probable cause to believe that an occupant of Iverson's vehicle had violated § 287.81 by throwing a cigarette butt onto the highway.

¶ 61. The defendant's motion to suppress evidence obtained during this traffic stop and to dismiss this case should have been denied.21 We reverse the decision of the court of appeals and remand the case to the circuit court for reinstatement of charges and further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

*336By the Court. — The decision of the court of appeals is reversed, and the cause is remanded to the circuit court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.