Police frequently conduct searches of individuals based on a reasonable suspicion. A brief investigative detention based on a reasonable suspicion is called a “Terry Stop”.
What is Reasonable Suspicion?
Reasonable suspicion is a term that is used to refer to a police officer’s reasonably justifiable suspicion that a person had committed a crime or was in the process of committing one, or was about to commit one. Where the officer believes that a crime may have been committed or is about to be committed, he or she may make a temporary detention of the suspect and may proceed to pat them down.