When may a law enforcement officer frisk a suspect?

A law enforcement officer is permitted to frisk a suspect primarily for the purpose of officer safety and to check for weapons. This action is based on the belief that the individual may be armed and poses a threat. The frisk is a limited pat-down of the outer clothing, aimed specifically at discovering weapons that could be used to harm the officer or others nearby.

This practice is supported by the legal standard established in the landmark case Terry v. Ohio, which allows officers to perform a stop-and-frisk when they have reasonable suspicion that a person is involved in criminal activity and may be armed. The focus of this procedure is to ensure the officer's safety during an encounter with a potentially dangerous suspect.

Frisking for identification purposes, evidence collection, or illegal substances would not meet the same legal rationale that justifies a frisk for weapons. The underlying goal of the frisk procedure is to assess immediate threats rather than to gather evidence or identify suspects, which is why the correct answer centers on officer safety in relation to firearms or other weapons.