Are You Actually Arrested, or Just Stopped??

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]I bet you didn't know that you can be stopped even when police don't have enough to arrest you. It's called an investigatory detention or a Terry stop.

[00:00:06]Officers only need reasonable suspicion to justify it, not probable cause like they need for an arrest. During a lawful stop, you can be briefly detained and in many [music] states, you can be required to give your name. If the police reasonably believe you're armed and dangerous, they can even frisk you for weapons. But here's the kicker, the stop has to stay short and focused. [music] If they drag it out or go fishing, that stop can turn unconstitutional and may result in the suppression of any evidence they find later.