Terry v Ohio

Terry v Ohio is a 1968 decision of the United States Supreme Court that established the stop and frisk standard under the Fourth Amendment. A Cleveland police detective watched two men repeatedly walk past and peer into a store in a manner he believed indicated they were planning a robbery, approached them, and patted down their outer clothing, discovering concealed weapons. The Court held that police may briefly stop and question a person based on reasonable, articulable suspicion of criminal activity, a lower standard than the probable cause required for an arrest, and may conduct a limited pat down for weapons if they reasonably believe the person is armed and dangerous. The ruling remains the governing standard for the large majority of police street stops in the United States.