A protective sweep around an arrestee is justified as a precautionary measure and does not require which of the following?

• A. Probable cause
• B. Reasonable suspicion
• C. No probable cause or reasonable suspicion required
• D. A warrant

Answer: (C)

A protective sweep is a quick, limited check conducted during an arrest to ensure there isn’t another person who could threaten officers’ safety. Because the goal is immediate safety tied to the ongoing arrest, this action can be justified without proving probable cause or reasonable suspicion for the sweep itself. The sweep is narrowly focused on areas where a dangerous person could be hiding and is kept brief, so it operates under the arrest as a safety measure rather than as a full search for evidence. This is why it doesn’t require probable cause or reasonable suspicion to justify the sweep.