If you have made a Terry stop you can frisk what?

• A. The glove box
• B. The passenger compartment for weapons
• C. The engine
• D. The entire vehicle

Answer: (B)

A Terry stop is intended to quickly protect officer safety by allowing a limited, protective frisk for weapons. This frisk isn’t a full vehicle search; its scope is narrow and focused on areas where a weapon could be readily accessed. In the context of a vehicle stop, the relevant limit is that a frisk can extend to the passenger compartment for weapons if there’s reason to believe someone in the car might be armed. Searching the glove box, engine, or the entire vehicle goes beyond a protective frisk and would require additional justification such as probable cause or consent. So, the correct approach is to frisk the passenger compartment for weapons.