If a police officer lawfully pats down a suspect's outer clothing and feels an object and the contour or mass of the object makes its identity immediately apparent, there has been no invasion of the suspect's privacy beyond that already authorized by the officer's search for weapons.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This statement is a correct interpretation of the "plain feel" doctrine established in the Supreme Court case Minnesota v. Dickerson. If an officer lawfully pats down a suspect's outer clothing and feels an object, and the identity of the object is immediately apparent as being contraband or evidence of a crime, the officer may seize the object without a warrant because it falls within the scope of the lawful frisk for weapons.

If a Police Officer Lawfully Pats Down a Suspect's Outer