Opinion ID: 1758476
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Frisk for Weapons

Text: While it is true that an officer is never justified in conducting a pat-down for weapons unless the original detention itself was justified, a lawful detention for questioning does not necessarily give the officer the authority to conduct a pat-down for weapons. Even after a lawful investigatory stop, a police officer is justified in frisking the subject only under circumstances where a reasonably prudent man . . . would be warranted in the belief that his safety or that of others was in danger. Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. at 27, 88 S.Ct. at 1883, 20 L.Ed.2d at 909. Further, the officer's belief is not reasonable unless the officer is able to point to particular facts from which he reasonably inferred that the individual was armed and dangerous. Sibron v. New York, 392 U.S. at 64, 88 S.Ct. at 1903, 20 L.Ed.2d at 935. It is not necessary that the investigating officer establish that it was more probable than not that the detained individual was armed and dangerous; it is sufficient that he establish a substantial possibility of danger. See Comment, Terry Revisited: Critical Update on Recent Stop-and-Frisk Developments, 1977 Wis.L.Rev. 877, 896. The officers in the instant case were unable to point to any particular facts from which it could be reasonably inferred that the defendant was armed and dangerous. The two armed and experienced New Orleans police officers encountered the defendant alone at the rear of an automobile parked in a residential area. One of the officers immediately positioned himself to the side of the defendant as the other officer questioned the suspect. Although there was reason to suspect the defendant of illegally entering the automobile trunk, there was no indication that he was or had been involved in the commission of a violent crime. There were no bulges in the defendant's clothing or other signs that he was armed, and he made no movement which could reasonably have been interpreted as intended to produce a weapon. While the defendant displayed nervousness and patted the breast pocket of his coat, the officer who made the weapons search did not indicate that this action precipitated the frisk. The officer gave his reasons for the frisk as follows: [T]he first thing I stated was, `Are you a policeman?' And Mr. Hunter replied, `No' in a shaky voice and he appeared to be quite nervous. And at the time I asked him if he was a police officer, he placed his right hand toward his left chest several times. Before questioning him any further I decided to frisk Mr. Hunter for any weapons for the possibility he had any weapons and I patted his waist first, and then I went into the area of . . . I patted him on the chest, and when I hit his coat pocket, his left coat pocket, I felt a vial, a small vial, a symmetrical object, in his pocket, and also, a spoon.    When asked specifically if he suspected the defendant of having weapons, the officer merely stated: I felt he might have a weapon. He was by a police car, and I asked him if he was a police officer. And he replied, `No'.