DO NOW – Thursday, December 12

1. Take out your homework • Review this definition: • Reasonable suspicion – information which is enough to give an officer a reasonable belief that a person is, was, or is about to be involved in a crime. It's less than probable cause but more than no evidence. • Using this definition, respond to each of the four scenarios on the slip of paper DO NOW – Thursday, December 12

2. An officer may stop and frisk for weapons. • The officer can only search outside the person’s clothing – a pat-down. • Any evidence found is admissible in court. • This police authority comes from 1968 Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio What is a “Terry Stop”?

3. Terry v. Ohio (1968) • Facts of the case • Cop sees 3 men “casing” a store. Cop is suspicious. • Cop stops them and frisks them, finds guns. • Defendants’ lawyer asks the court to “suppress” (ignore) the evidence, since it was obtained without probable cause • Constitutional Question • “Was it proper to admit the guns as evidence, or did their admission violation the defendants’ constitutional rights under the 4th Amendment?” • Judicial Decision • SC decided search was reasonable. Searching the men was warranted, and necessary to keep the officer safe. • Created a standard of “reasonable suspicion”

4. What the defendants were hoping for Terry (the defendant) wanted to the evidence (the guns found by the cop) to be excluded because the officer found the guns using what he felt was an illegal search. If the evidence was excluded, it would be inadmissible. NEW VOCABULARY Inadmissible – evidence that the jury must ignore Exclusionary Rule – a legal rule that says any evidence seized illegally by the police must be excluded from trial