When can officers lawfully frisk an individual?

Officers can lawfully frisk an individual primarily to find weapons. This action is rooted in the concept of officer safety and is generally justified under the Terry v. Ohio ruling. In this context, a frisk is a limited pat-down of a person’s outer clothing when an officer has a reasonable suspicion that the person is armed and dangerous. The motivation behind this practice is to ensure the safety of law enforcement personnel and others in the vicinity.

The frisk is not intended as a search for evidence of a crime or for drugs, as those purposes require higher standards of probable cause. Therefore, the primary legal basis for conducting a frisk is the specific concern for weapons, rather than the search for other items or possessions.