Stop and Frisk and Arrest

The level of proof needed for officer Russo and Bennett to perform a stop and frisk on the youths was established the moment the 5 individuals were seen running in the same geographical location as to where the crime occurred, fit the age and clothing description giving by the dispatcher, and when three of the five youths had fled the scene after being ordered to stop for questioning. This in return, automatically brings forth reasonable suspicion in the officers minds and allows the officers to immediately chase, detain, question and Frisk for weapons. Furthermore, the crime committed was a serious felony that involved a firearm which further grants officers the ability to Pat-Frisk for their safety and others around without going through a series of the steps needed to conduct a Stop and Frisk.

The level of proof needed for the officers to have arrested the five youths was based on the fact three of the youths initially fit the general description giving by the officer at the crime scene of the suspects. In addition, when the officers had taking the youths to the store to be identified, the store clerk identified two of the individuals and stated the youth wearing the heavy jacket had taking $600.00. The youth with the heavy jacket had been found with $300.00 on his persons. All this evidence against the youths created probable cause for the officers to conduct an arrest.

The varying elements that were used to justify fingerprinting the youths would be: the fact an arrest had occurred due to a felony crime, identification of two of the youths by the store clerk, the large sums of money found on the youth's persons, and the firearm recovered outside the convenient store in a nearby trashcan where the robbery had taking place.