Under Terry v. Ohio (1968), the police may search and seize if they have what?

• A. Probable cause
• B. Reasonable suspicion
• C. Consent
• D. Necessity

Answer: (A)

The key idea is the stop-and-frisk rule established by Terry v. Ohio. Police may briefly detain a person and conduct a limited pat-down for weapons when they have reasonable suspicion that the person is involved in criminal activity and may be armed. This standard is lower than probable cause and is intended to address imminent danger, not to conduct a full search. Probable cause is the standard needed for a full arrest or for searching with a warrant, while consent or necessity are separate grounds that don’t apply to the basic Terry stop-and-frisk rule. So, the correct concept is reasonable suspicion, not probable cause.