Which term describes the practice of briefly detaining a person to investigate suspicious activity and potential weapons?

Which term describes the practice of briefly detaining a person to investigate suspicious activity and potential weapons?

• A. Arrest
• B. Consent search
• C. Stop and frisk
• D. Warrantless seizure

Answer: (C)

The concept here is stop and frisk. It allows a police officer to briefly detain someone when there’s reasonable suspicion that the person is involved in a crime and may be armed, and then to perform a quick pat-down to check for weapons to ensure safety. The detention is short and not an arrest; if nothing suspicious is found, the person should be released. This differs from an arrest (formal custody with probable cause), a consent search (based on voluntary permission), or a warrantless seizure (any seizure without a warrant but not necessarily the brief investigative frisk for weapons). Stop and frisk uniquely combines a brief detention with a safety search for weapons.

The concept here is stop and frisk. It allows a police officer to briefly detain someone when there’s reasonable suspicion that the person is involved in a crime and may be armed, and then to perform a quick pat-down to check for weapons to ensure safety. The detention is short and not an arrest; if nothing suspicious is found, the person should be released. This differs from an arrest (formal custody with probable cause), a consent search (based on voluntary permission), or a warrantless seizure (any seizure without a warrant but not necessarily the brief investigative frisk for weapons). Stop and frisk uniquely combines a brief detention with a safety search for weapons.