Final answer:
A Terry stop is a stage of police intervention where an officer may detain an individual based on reasonable suspicion for a brief period for investigative purposes, which is less than an arrest but more than a consensual encounter.
Step-by-step explanation:
The interaction between an officer and an individual during a stage that is less than an arrest but more than a consensual encounter is known as a Terry stop.
This term comes from the landmark Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio, which allows police to briefly detain a person based on reasonable suspicion that the person is involved in criminal activity. A Terry stop is a temporary detention for investigative purposes, and during such a stop, officers may also perform a frisk for weapons if there is reasonable suspicion that the individual is armed and dangerous.