Under probable cause, if an officer lacks probable cause to arrest but has articulable and reasonable suspicion that the person may be armed, what action may the officer take to neutralize the threat before an arrest?

• A. The weapon to neutralize the threat and then arrest the person
• B. Detain the person for questioning before arrest
• C. Conduct a full body search
• D. Arrest without any search or seizure

Answer: (A)

When an officer has reasonable suspicion that a person may be armed, they may perform a brief, protective frisk under the stop-and-frisk rule. The goal is immediate safety, not a full search. If during that frisk the officer feels or discovers a weapon, they may seize it to neutralize the threat. This allows the officer to proceed with arrest or further investigation with the weapon secured. A full body search would require probable cause and is not justified here, and simply detaining for questioning doesn’t address the immediate danger. Arrest without any search or seizure isn’t appropriate when there’s a known risk of an armed individual and a weapon can be secured through a permissible frisk.