What are the two steps required for a Terry stop?

What are the two steps required for a Terry stop?

• A. Stop: Reasonable suspicion based on specific, articulable facts that a crime is occurring or has occurred; Frisk: A separate set of specific, articulable facts indicating the person may be armed and dangerous.
• B. Stop and frisk are the same action.
• C. Terry stops require only consent.
• D. Stop: Reasonable suspicion; Frisk: A separate set of specific, articulable facts indicating the person may be armed and dangerous.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that a Terry stop involves two distinct steps with two separate justifications. First, the stop itself must be based on reasonable suspicion—facts that are specific and articulable that a crime is afoot or has occurred. This sets up a brief seizure of the person. If, during that stop, the officer has a separate basis to believe the individual is armed and dangerous, the second step is a frisk—a limited pat-down of outer clothing to check for weapons, using a reasonable belief that the person may be armed. The frisk is not automatic; it requires its own justification tied to potential danger. This combination—stop on reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, followed by a protective frisk if there are separate facts indicating a weapon—is precisely what Terry allows.

The key idea is that a Terry stop involves two distinct steps with two separate justifications. First, the stop itself must be based on reasonable suspicion—facts that are specific and articulable that a crime is afoot or has occurred. This sets up a brief seizure of the person. If, during that stop, the officer has a separate basis to believe the individual is armed and dangerous, the second step is a frisk—a limited pat-down of outer clothing to check for weapons, using a reasonable belief that the person may be armed. The frisk is not automatic; it requires its own justification tied to potential danger. This combination—stop on reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, followed by a protective frisk if there are separate facts indicating a weapon—is precisely what Terry allows.