What is an officer looking for when they have reasonable suspicion to perform a frisk?

When an officer has reasonable suspicion to perform a frisk, their primary concern is to ensure their safety and the safety of others in the vicinity. This is particularly important when the officer believes that the individual they are interacting with may be armed and dangerous. The frisk, which involves a limited pat-down of the individual’s outer clothing, is intended to detect weapons that could pose a threat.

The legal standard for a frisk arises from the need to balance the individual's rights with the officer’s duty to protect themselves and the public from potential harm. Therefore, the objective of a frisk is not to search for evidence of crimes, identification documents, or signs of intoxication, but rather to locate any weapons that may be concealed and could cause harm during the encounter. This focus on safety justifies the intrusion into the individual’s personal space under circumstances where the officer has a reasonable belief that the individual may be armed.