Under what conditions can a pat-down search be conducted?

A pat-down search, often referred to as a "Terry stop," is permissible when an officer has reasonable suspicion that a person is armed and dangerous. This legal standard was established in the landmark Supreme Court case, Terry v. Ohio, which allows officers to conduct a limited search for weapons when they have specific, articulable facts leading them to believe that a person might be carrying a weapon that poses a risk to the officer or others.

The requirement of reasonable suspicion is crucial; it means that the officer must have more than a mere hunch or unparticular intuition but less than the probable cause needed for an arrest or a full search. This is grounded in the need for officer safety and the protection of the public.

While behaviors such as acting suspiciously could contribute to reasonable suspicion, they are not sufficient on their own for a pat-down, as every circumstance must be evaluated in context. Consent to search is not necessary for a pat-down in the situation described, and merely believing a crime is about to occur does not justify the search without the specific concern that the individual may be armed. Hence, the focus on being armed and dangerous directly aligns with the legal framework governing pat-down searches.