Terry v. Ohio case, providing information on the concerned parties, case facts, previous proceedings, arguments and issues, court decision and rationale for the decision.Parties Involved

The People of the State of Ohio and John W. Terry

Facts

Martin Mcfadden, a law enforcement official, saw the complainant engaged in a long, serious conversation with a second man, on a quiet street corner whilst constantly pacing along the street and looking into one of the shops there, from time to time. They were subsequently approached by a third individual who conversed with them before leading them along the street. From the looks of it, the official surmised that the three men might be up to no good, and potentially planning a shop burglary. Hence, he decided upon grilling them, and considering their suspicious conduct, also decided upon swiftly frisking all three prior to interrogation (Samaha, 2012). The search generated a concealed gun, with the end result being a suit against the complainant for having, on his person, a hidden weapon. The officer claimed all he did was pat the three men down for weapons, and certainly didn't search beneath their outer clothing.

Prior Proceedings

None

Issue

The basic issue in this case is whether or not weapon frisking...

They asserted that the official (i.e., Mcfadden) lacked both a probable cause for detention and a search warrant. However, their motion was denied.
Holdings

The Supreme Court held that, in spite of a lack of probable cause for apprehension, the complainant's frisking, which gleaned a concealed gun, satisfied Amendment IV conditions. Drawing from experience, Mcfadden had a logical and legitimate suspicion regarding Terry and team's nefarious plans, and believed the complainant threatened society; this justifies the official's decision of stopping and patting down the men and consequently makes the evidence generated "admissible" at trial (Samaha, 2012). The court essentially maintained that, in the event law enforcement officials notice behavior which gives rise to suspicions regarding potential crime, and abide by the correct procedure, they are entitled to safeguard both themselves and the public…