Which term describes a limited investigatory stop based on reasonable suspicion?

• A. Third degree
• B. Stop and frisk
• C. Terry stop
• D. Uniform Crime Reports

Answer: (C)

A Terry stop is a limited investigatory stop based on reasonable suspicion. This concept comes from Terry v. Ohio, which allows an officer to briefly detain someone to investigate possible criminal activity when there are specific, articulable facts that justify the suspicion. The detention must be temporary and confined to it's purpose—to confirm or dispel the suspicion. If the officer reasonably believes the person is armed and dangerous, a frisk (a pat-down for weapons) may be conducted. This is why the term described is the best fit: it denotes the precise legal mechanism of a short, justified detour from ordinary freedom of movement used to investigate potential crime. The term stop and frisk is related in practice, but the formal term for this limited stop is a Terry stop, while third degree and Uniform Crime Reports refer to different concepts altogether.