Terry vs Ohio

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Jose Trejo CJ – 241 June 27, 2010 Terry vs. State of Ohio (1968) The Supreme Court case of Terry vs. The State of Ohio focuses on the “stop and frisk” technique exercised by police officers, as well as the violation of the 4th Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. On October 31, 1963, Police Detective Martin McFadden was patrolling an area of downtown Cleveland. Officer McFadden noticed two men standing on the corner of Huron Rd. and Euclid Ave. which invoked a suspicious sensation. Later recognized as John W. Terry and Richard Chilton, the two men paced themselves simultaneously past various stores, looking inside the windows. Terry and Chilton exercised this routine about 12 times while Officer McFadden observed them from 300 to 400 feet away in the entrance of another store. At one point during their suspicious routine, there was a third man involved. This third man approached Terry and Chilton and had a brief conversation with them, before heading west on Euclid Ave. After the third man, later indentified as Katz, walked away, the two men engaged in their routine once again for another 10-12 more minutes before finally following the same path as the third man, Katz. Officer McFadden followed the suspects to another store a couple of feet down Euclid Ave. where they engaged in yet another conference with the third suspect. Finally, Officer McFadden decided to intervene and approach the three suspects. From his previous observations, the officer concluded that the men might be armed and dangerous so he proceeded cautiously. Officer McFadden approached the suspects and began to interrogate them. After a series of questions, Terry mumbled a couple of words and McFadden took initiative. McFadden grabbed Terry and turned him around to face the other two. He patted him down and felt an object that resembled a firearm, therefore, attempted to

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