In the GOWISELY mnemonic, which term corresponds to the letter L?

• A. Location
• B. Legal power
• C. Grounds
• D. Identity

Answer: (B)

Legal power is what enables the officer to act. The L in GOWISELY stands for Legal power—the statutory or common-law authority that justifies the stop, search, detention, or seizure. The effect of this is clear: for any intervention to be lawful, there must be a valid power backing it, and you should be able to point to that power when explaining what you’re doing. Without a proper legal power, even if you have reasonable grounds or identify the person, the action could be unlawful. In practice, you’d cite the relevant statute or legal provision that authorizes the action, showing that your action rests on law, not on discretion alone. The other elements of the mnemonic (grounds, location, identity, etc.) relate to why you’re acting or who’s involved, but the L is specifically about the enabling authority behind the action.