Under Terry, a police officer has the authority to stop and detain you if she has a reasonable suspicion of criminal behavior. However, the courts have said that an officer’s authorization to stop and detain is not the same as his authority to frisk a suspect.

An officer is only allowed to frisk a suspect if she has specific facts that support a reasonable belief that she is in danger. Additionally, if the police are carrying out a lawful Terry frisk, they do not have to ignore newly discovered contraband if it is found in the frisk. In other words, the police are not limited to seizing weapons during a Terry frisk.