What is a "stop and frisk"?

A "stop and frisk" refers to a police procedure where an officer briefly stops an individual based on reasonable suspicion and conducts a limited pat-down of the person's outer clothing. This action is based on the need to ensure officer safety and to check for weapons or contraband without necessarily making an arrest or requiring a warrant.

The concept is rooted in the need to strike a balance between the need for police officers to protect themselves and the public and the individual's right to personal security. The key element here is reasonable suspicion, which is a lower standard than probable cause but still requires specific and articulable facts suggesting that a person is involved in criminal activity.

Other options are not accurate representations of "stop and frisk." While a full body search based on probable cause involves a higher threshold of evidence that a crime has been or will be committed, and searches with a warrant follow a legal process requiring judicial approval, a stop and frisk operates under more immediate and less formal circumstances. Additionally, stop and frisks are not limited to police checkpoints; they can happen anywhere an officer observes behavior that raises suspicion.