Stop and Frisk (From Briefs of 100 Leading Cases in Law Enforcement, P 21-28, 1991, Rolando V. del Carmen, Jeffery T. Walker -- See NCJ-126275)

• NCJ Number: 126278
• Author(s): R V del Carmen; J T Walker
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: Anderson Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Rulings of the Supreme Court concerning stop and frisk are analyzed according to their significance in law enforcement.

Abstract

In Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968), the Court determined that the police have the authority to detain a person for questioning even without probable cause if they believe that the person has committed a crime. Reasonable grounds for a stop and frisk do not rest solely on an officer's personal observation, rather they may be based on information provided by another individual, as stated in Adams v. Williams, 407 U.S. 143 (1972). The Court decided in the case U.S. v. Hensley, 469 U.S. 221 (1985), that when the police have a reasonable suspicion that an individual was involved in or is wanted in connection with a completed felony, a stop may be made to investigate that suspicion. In U.S. v. Sharpe, 407 U.S. 675 (1985), the Court determined that there is no rigid time limit for the length of an investigatory stop. Instead, the purpose of the stop and the reasonableness of the time and means used for the investigation should be taken into account.