What is a Terry frisk primarily used for?

A Terry frisk is primarily used as a limited pat-down for weapons based on reasonable suspicion. This practice stems from the legal precedent set by the Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio, where it was established that law enforcement officers are permitted to perform a brief, investigatory stop and a subsequent pat-down of an individual's outer clothing when they have a reasonable belief that the person may be armed and dangerous.

The focus of a Terry frisk is solely to ensure the safety of the officer and others by checking for weapons, not to search for contraband or gather evidence. This is an important distinction; the primary goal is to prevent potential harm rather than to collect evidence. The officer's level of suspicion must be based on specific articulable facts, and the frisk itself is limited to what is necessary to locate weapons.

The other options involve searches or actions not aligned with the intent of a Terry frisk. For instance, searching for drugs in a vehicle requires a different set of legal standards and is not the purpose of a Terry frisk. Similarly, gathering evidence in a suspect's home would require a warrant or probable cause, exceeding the limited scope of the frisk. Determining a suspect’s identity is not the objective of a Terry frisk either; rather, it's a preparatory