Which search allowed by Terry v. Ohio permits pat-down of clothing if there is reasonable suspicion of danger?

Which search allowed by Terry v. Ohio permits pat-down of clothing if there is reasonable suspicion of danger?

• A. Consent Search
• B. Exclusionary Rule
• C. Field Interrogation
• D. Stop-and-Frisk search

Answer: (D)

Stop-and-frisk is the concept at play. Under Terry v. Ohio, when an officer has reasonable suspicion that a person is armed and dangerous, they may briefly detain the person and conduct a limited pat-down of the outer clothing to check for weapons. This is a safety-focused, non-intrusive search intended to quickly assess whether the person poses a threat, not a full search. If nothing weapon-like is found, the encounter ends; if something that could be a weapon is felt, the officer may act further within lawful limits. This differs from a consent search, which requires voluntary permission, and from the exclusionary rule or field interrogation, which are unrelated to the specific authority to perform a frisk under Terry.

Stop-and-frisk is the concept at play. Under Terry v. Ohio, when an officer has reasonable suspicion that a person is armed and dangerous, they may briefly detain the person and conduct a limited pat-down of the outer clothing to check for weapons. This is a safety-focused, non-intrusive search intended to quickly assess whether the person poses a threat, not a full search. If nothing weapon-like is found, the encounter ends; if something that could be a weapon is felt, the officer may act further within lawful limits. This differs from a consent search, which requires voluntary permission, and from the exclusionary rule or field interrogation, which are unrelated to the specific authority to perform a frisk under Terry.