Frisking is permitted when an officer:

Frisking is a limited form of search conducted by law enforcement officers for the purpose of ensuring their own safety and the safety of others. For a frisk to be justified, the officer must have a reasonable and articulable suspicion that the individual is armed and dangerous. This requirement aligns with the legal precedent established by the Supreme Court in Terry v. Ohio, which allows officers to conduct a stop-and-frisk when they have an articulated fear for their safety based on the circumstances they encounter.

In this context, having a fear for safety isn't merely a vague or general sense; it needs to be specific and justifiable based on the situation at hand. This standard ensures that the frisk is a necessary response to an actual concern, rather than an arbitrary or capricious action. Other options, while they may provide context for an encounter with an individual, do not directly relate to the specific criteria that empower an officer to conduct a frisk. For instance, proximity to a known criminal or following a suspect does not, in itself, imply danger or the need for a frisk. Similarly, positive ID verification of an individual does not automatically indicate that a frisk is necessary without other factors being present that indicate a threat to safety.