The concept of 'Stop and Frisk' allows officers to do what?

The concept of 'Stop and Frisk' enables law enforcement officers to briefly detain a person based on reasonable suspicion that the individual may be involved in criminal activity. During this temporary detention, officers are permitted to conduct a limited pat-down of the individual’s outer clothing for the purpose of ensuring that the person does not possess any weapons. The primary focus of this procedure is officer safety, allowing them to protect themselves and others from potential harm during an interaction with a person they suspect might be armed.

This practice is grounded in the Fourth Amendment, which protects individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures, but allows for this limited search without a warrant when a police officer has specific, articulable facts that justify the reasonable suspicion. It's important to note that while officers may question individuals in public spaces or detain them temporarily, the specifics of 'Stop and Frisk' particularly hinge on the pat-down aspect for weapons rather than more extensive searches or detainment based solely on suspicion.