stop and frisk

stop and frisk
n.
The action by a police officer of stopping a person suspected to be armed and dangerous and running his or her hands over the outside of the suspect’s clothing to locate any concealed weapons.

The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. . 2008.


stop and frisk
A law enforcement officer's brief detention, questioning, and search for a concealed weapon when the officer has reason to believe that the detainee has committed or is about to commit a crime. Any further search requires either a search warrant or probable cause to believe the suspect will commit or has committed a crime (including carrying a concealed weapon, which itself is a crime).
Category: Criminal Law
Category: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits

Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. . 2009.


stop and frisk
The situation in which a police officer who is suspicious of an individual detains the person and runs his hands lightly over the suspect's outer garments to determine if the person is carrying a concealed weapon.

Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.


stop and frisk
The situation in which a police officer who is suspicious of an individual detains the person and runs his hands lightly over the suspect's outer garments to determine if the person is carrying a concealed weapon.

Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.

stop and frisk
n.
   a law enforcement officer's search for a weapon confined to a suspect's outer clothing when either a bulge in the clothing or the outline of the weapon is visible. The search is commonly called a "pat down," and any further search requires either a search warrant or "probable cause" to believe the suspect will commit or has committed a crime (including carrying a concealed weapon, which itself is a crime). The limited right to "stop and frisk" is intended to halt the practice of random searches of people in hopes of finding evidence of criminal activity or merely for purposes of intimidation, particularly of minorities.

Law dictionary. . 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • stop and frisk — The situation where police officers who are suspicious of an individual run their hands lightly over the suspect s outer garments to determine if the person is carrying a concealed weapon. Also called a patdown or threshold inquiry, a stop and… …   Black's law dictionary

  • stop and frisk statute — n: a state law that allows a police officer to stop any person without making an arrest based on a reasonable suspicion that the person has committed or is about to commit a crime Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …   Law dictionary

  • Stop and Identify statutes — “Stop and identify” statutes are laws in the United States that require persons detained under certain circumstances to identify themselves to a police officer. [Although “police officer” is used throughout this article, most “stop and identify”… …   Wikipedia

  • frisk — vt: to run the hand rapidly over the outer clothing of (a suspect) for the purpose of finding concealed weapons compare search ◇ The purpose of frisking a suspect is to insure the safety of an officer making an investigation against concealed… …   Law dictionary

  • stop — 1 vb stopped, stop·ping vt 1: to cause to halt stopped payment 2: to subject to a legal stop vi: to cease activity or motion stop 2 n: an act or inst …   Law dictionary

  • stop — Within statutes requiring a motorist striking a person with automobile to stop, requires a definite cessation of movement for a sufficient length of time for a person of ordinary powers of observation to fully understand the surroundings of the… …   Black's law dictionary

  • Stop — The word stop has several possible meanings in the English language, but most commonly means to cease moving.Additionally, stop can refer to:* STOP Programme (An acronym for Straight Thinking On Probation ) In some jurisdictions, offenders of… …   Wikipedia

  • frisk — Contact of the outer clothing of a person to detect by the sense of touch whether a concealed weapon is being carried. People v. Francis, 1 Dept, 108 A.D.2d 322, 489 N.Y.S.2d 166. A pat down search of a suspect by police, designed to discover… …   Black's law dictionary

  • frisk — Contact of the outer clothing of a person to detect by the sense of touch whether a concealed weapon is being carried. People v. Francis, 1 Dept, 108 A.D.2d 322, 489 N.Y.S.2d 166. A pat down search of a suspect by police, designed to discover… …   Black's law dictionary

  • investigatory stop — Such stop, which is limited to brief, nonintrusive detention during a frisk for weapons or preliminary questioning, is considered a seizure sufficient to invoke Fourth Amendment safeguards, but because of its less intrusive character requires… …   Black's law dictionary

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