Terry Stops

• Steven Topazio wrote this November 21, 2024 at 7:58 pm

What is a Terry Stop? A Terry Stop is a brief, non-intrusive detention by police for the purpose of investigating suspicious behavior. It is based on the 1968 U.S. Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio. In this ruling, the Court decided that law enforcement officers can stop and question a person if they have reasonable suspicion that the person is involved in criminal activity, even if they do not have probable cause to arrest them.

During a Terry Stop, officers are also allowed to perform a limited pat-down (“stop and frisk” or “frisk”) of the person’s outer clothing if they have reasonable suspicion that the person is armed and poses a threat. This is to ensure the officer’s safety.

The key legal standard for a Terry stop is reasonable suspicion, which is a lower threshold than probable cause but requires specific, articulable facts that criminal activity is occurring or imminent.