Final answer:
An officer may search for weapons during a stop-and-frisk, or Terry stop, if there's reasonable belief of danger. This complies with the Fourth Amendment, as established by Terry v. Ohio, balancing public safety with individual rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
During a stop-and-frisk search (also known as a "pat-down search" or a "Terry stop"), an officer may search an individual for weapons if the officer has stopped a person for temporary questioning without arrest and reasonably believes that he/she or another is in danger of attack.
This type of search is grounded in the landmark case Terry v. Ohio, which established that police may stop a person if they have a reasonable suspicion that the person has committed or is about to commit a crime, and may frisk the suspect for weapons if they have a reasonable suspicion that the suspect is armed and dangerous. This standard does not violate the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures.
The rationale behind this exception to the warrant requirement is that the safety of the officer and others may be at stake, and that the intrusion on the individual's Fourth Amendment rights is outweighed by the public interest in allowing officers to conduct a limited search for weapons when they have a reasonable belief that they are dealing with an armed and potentially dangerous individual.