Stop and frisk allows police to detain a person for an investigative purpose only if they have what?

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This reflects the standard for a stop and frisk under Terry v. Ohio: officers may briefly detain someone for investigative purposes only if they have reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. That means the suspicion must be based on specific, articulable facts or inferences, not a mere guess or hunch. If there’s also a concern for safety and the officer reasonably suspects the person is armed, a limited pat-down for weapons is allowed. A warrant isn’t required for the initial stop, and consent can allow stops or searches, but the deciding factor for the stop itself is reasonable suspicion.