What is a Terry stop and what may accompany it?

Prepare for the Police Standards and Training Council (PSTC) Test with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question includes hints and explanations. Get ready to excel!

A Terry stop is a brief detention based on reasonable suspicion that a person is involved in criminal activity. It allows the officer to temporarily stop and question to confirm or dispel the suspicion, without becoming an arrest. If the officer reasonably believes there could be danger, they may perform a protective pat-down (a frisk) of the outer clothing to check for weapons. This frisk is limited to discovering weapons; if something else is clearly contraband or evidence of a crime is immediately recognizable, it may be seized under the plain feel doctrine. The stop is not a full arrest, and it does not authorize a general vehicle or home search without separate legal grounds.