Procedure 508-Field Contacts

Question 1

.01B. Officers are reminded they must exercise discretion in the use of their;

Answer 1

authority to field contact, stop, interview, interrogate, and frisk a person.

Question 2

.03A. An officer, in a place he has a lawful right to be, may field contact any person, and interview him, under ;

Answer 2

circumstances where the officer feels, the interview is necessary.

Question 3

.03A. However, the officer may not;

Answer 3

arbitrarily stop any person he sees on the streets.

Question 4

.03B. An officer identifies himself as an officer when initiating a field contact, unless;

Answer 4

his identity is obvious.

Question 5

.03C. Who may not be detained against their will for the purpose of an interrogation?

Answer 5

Persons who are field contacted and who are not suspects.

Question 6

.03C. They may be requested to identify themselves, however they are not compelled to do so.

Answer 6

Persons who are field contacted and who are not suspects.

Question 7

.03D. Who are permitted to go on their way if they choose to do so?

Answer 7

Persons field contacted

Question 8

.03E. When may the person field contacted, be considered a suspect and detained?

Answer 8

If during a field contact, an officer develops reasonable suspicion to believe the person is involved in criminal activity.

Question 9

.04.A. Who may an officer stop for the purpose of conducting an interrogation?

Answer 9

a suspect

Question 10

.04B. For the purpose of conducting an investigation, a suspect may be;

Answer 10

temporarily detained, and is not free to leave.

Question 11

.04B. This person may be restrained from leaving, if necessary.

Answer 11

Suspect

Question 12

.04B An officer may use the amount of force necessary, except deadly force, unless deadly force is offered, to;

Answer 12

detain and overcome resistance of a suspect who is detained against his will.

Question 13

.04C. In identifying a person as a suspect, the officer must be able to point to;

Answer 13

specific suspicious conduct or circumstances to justify the detention.

Question 14

.04C. Examples of conduct or circumstances to assist an officer in justifying a stop and detention are:

Answer 14

1. Evasive or furtive movements;
2. Fits a wanted notice;
3. Near scene of recently committed / reported crime;
4. Demeanor or presence unusual for time or place;
5. Info received the person involved in criminal activity.

Question 15

.04D. In evaluating the person’s conduct or appearance, an officer can rely on his training and experience to;

Answer 15

determine whether or not the person is a suspect.

Question 16

.04E. An officer can base his suspicion that a person is a suspect on information received from a;

Answer 16

citizen informant, including an anonymous informant.

Question 17

.04F. An officer must be able to explain the;

Answer 17

reason why, a person was detained, and interrogated.

Question 18

.04F. He does not need to point to any one thing, which alone, would justify his action, but should refer to several things, each of which when taken
alone may seem harmless, but when considered together, by;

Answer 18

an officer who is trained, or experienced in detecting criminal activity, raises a reasonable suspicion of a person’s involvement in criminal activity.

Question 19

.04G. A suspect lawfully stopped for an interrogation may be detained for the length of time necessary to:

Answer 19

1. Verify his identification;
2. Account for his conduct;
3. Account for his presence;
4. Ascertain if a crime was committed.

Question 20

.04H. A suspect who is detained against his will is informed by the officer he is not under arrest, but is being temporarily detained to;

Answer 20

determine if he is involved in any criminal activity.

Question 21

04I. A suspect who is not under arrest and who is detained against his will is released:

Answer 21

1. As soon as he provides a satisfactory explanation of his presence and his actions; or
2. After (30) minutes, if the officer has been unable to develop probable cause for an arrest.

Question 22

.05A. An officer may frisk a person whom he has stopped or field contacted at any time during the encounter if;

Answer 22

he has reasonable suspicion to fear for his safety.

Question 23

The frisk must be justified independent of the;

Answer 23

field contact or stop.

Question 24

.05B. The only purpose of a frisk is to;

Answer 24

find weapons which might put the officer or other bystanders in danger.

Question 25

.05C. Officers consider the following factors in developing reasonable suspicion for a frisk:

Answer 25

1. furtive or evasive moves; 2. armed companion
2. Person is an SP in an offense with a weapon;
3. Bulging clothes or efforts to conceal an object;
4. Known to carry weapons;
5. Peculiar clothing is ;
6. Info from informant person is armed.

Question 26

.05D. A police officer must be able to explain why a person was frisked. The officer need not point to any one thing which would justify the frisk, but should refer to several things, each of which, when taken alone may seem harmless, but when;

Answer 26

considered together by an officer who is trained or experienced in dealing with criminal suspects, raises a reasonable suspicion the person poses a threat to the officer’s safety.

Question 27

.06A. A frisk is limited to the search of a person’s;

Answer 27

access areas

Question 28

.06B. In cases where a male officer has reasonable suspicion to believe a weapon is secreted in a particular place on a female and a female officer is not present, the male officer may;

Answer 28

reach directly into that area to seize the weapon.

Question 29

06C. If the person is in the vehicle or near enough to the vehicle to reach in it at the time of the stop or field contact and the officer has reasonable suspicion to believe the vehicle contains a weapon.

Answer 29

An officer may frisk a person’s vehicle

Question 30

.07A. The officer removes an object or item for closer examination and may reach into or under clothing to seize the suspected weapon.

Answer 30

When an officer, during the course of a frisk, feels an object or item he reasonably suspects is a weapon,

Question 31

.07B. If the object or item removed is a weapon, and the person is not exempt from the Texas Penal Code provisions prohibiting the carrying or possession of the weapon, the officer;

Answer 31

arrests the person. The weapon is listed as evidence and a search of the person is conducted incidental to the arrest.

Question 32

.07C. If the object or item removed reasonably appears to be or contains contraband or evidence, the officer arrests the person. The item or object is listed as;

Answer 32

evidence and the officer conducts a search of the person incidental to the arrest.

Question 33

.07D. Why may an officer, while conducting a frisk for weapons, and feels an item, may then seize that item, even though it is not a weapon?

Answer 33

When the item is immediately recognized to be contraband or evidence.

Question 34

.08A. If the officer stops and interrogates a suspect who was not arrested, and the details of the stop, and
interrogation, are not included in an offense, or incident report;

Answer 34

An officer documents the field contacts using SAPD Form #2-3.

Question 35

.08A. When the officer conducts a frisk of a person, who was not arrested, and the details of the frisk are not included in an offense, or incident report;

Answer 35

An officer documents the field contacts using SAPD Form #2-3.

Question 36

.07D. Officers are not allowed to manipulate the item for identification, as contraband, or evidence, for this doctrine to apply.

Answer 36

Plain Feel Doctrine