What must an officer be able to do concerning a frisk?

An officer must be able to independently justify a frisk based on the legal standards set forth by the Fourth Amendment and relevant case law. This involves being able to articulate specific, objective facts that give rise to a reasonable belief that a person is armed and dangerous. The ability to provide independent justification is critical because it serves as the foundation for a lawful frisk, which is a limited search intended to ensure officer safety rather than a full search for evidence of a crime.

The justification should come from the officer's observations, experience, training, and circumstances present at the time of the encounter. If an officer lacks this independent justification, any evidence found during an illegal frisk could be deemed inadmissible in court. Thus, understanding the requirements for conducting a frisk and being able to justify it independently is fundamental to an officer's duties and responsibilities in maintaining constitutional protections.