Walk It Through: The Street Stop
An officer on a sidewalk, a demand for a name, a pat down, a phone recording, and a receipt at the end.
An officer stops a person walking home and asks for a name, an address, and what they are doing in the area.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A stop on foot that ends without an arrest. A stop that becomes an arrest, a search of a bag or a car, and a recording of a private conversation are left to other walkthroughs and pages.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Stop receiptThe receipt an officer gives after a stop that involved a frisk or search, with the reason for the stop and the officer's name and badge number, unless that is impractical or there is an emergency.
- EavesdroppingRecording or overhearing a private conversation in a surreptitious manner without the consent of all of the parties, including one the person recording is part of.
- Private conversationAn oral communication between 2 or more persons when one or more of them intended it to be private under circumstances reasonably justifying that expectation.