Court Opinion

ID: 9680045
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 07:17:38.210388+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:24.915164
License: Public Domain

. CATES, Presiding Judge
(concurring) :
Terry, Sibron and Peters, (op. cit. in Judge Almon’s opinion) lay down the Federal Fourteenth Amendment Standards for state adjudication.
As to Alabama’s standards I would ignore Michie’s 1958 unofficial code and instead go to the original source Act No. 157, approved August 19, 1966 (Acts 1966 Special Session, p. 183).
There we find that the title of the Act ■limits the substance to a peace officer’s (1) temporary questioning of persons in public places and (2) a search for weapons. This limitation-narrows the breadth of the wording of the Act to what is reasonably germane to these two acts, i. e., questioning and searching for weapons, § 45 Cons., 1901. Kendrick v. Boyd, 255 Ala. 53, 51 So.2d 694.
Thus when we collate the Federal limitations with the Alabama Act as controlled by its title I consider that we have a procedure with the following combined:
1. Reasonable suspicion regarding a felony or other public offense as more fully set out;
2. A palpation of the contours of the outer clothing1 of the body held tightly against the body itself so as to reveal to the sense of touch any bulges which might signify the presence of hidden weapons ;
3. And if the frisk gives such a clue an ordinary search within pockets or other parts of the clothing to seize the suspected object; and
4. Arrest if the friskee has a weapon contrary to law, e. g., a pistol concealed or without benefit of a permit.
5. If no weapon is found the detainee is due to be released and contraband found, if any, must be kept only for forfeiture and cannot be used in evidence.

. In this ease it is not necessary for us to decide whether a detainee can be asked to unfasten, an overgarment such as a raincoat or overcoat.