Terry v. Ohio
United States Supreme Court
392 U.S. 1 (1968)
Relevant factsFree
An experienced officer watched two men repeatedly peer into a store window and walk away, suspecting them of planning a robbery and believing they might be armed; after approaching and identifying himself, receiving only mumbled responses, the officer patted down Terry's (defendant) outer clothing and found a gun, then did the same to the other man and found a second gun, and both were convicted of carrying concealed weapons.
IssueFree
Whether, absent probable cause, a police officer may detain a person on the street and conduct a limited search for weapons.