What I experienced was the vehicular version of what the lawyers call a “Terry stop.” It’s named after a seminal 1968 Supreme Court case: Terry v. Ohio. In an 8–1 ruling, the Court found that the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures still allows police officers to lay hands all over you, if they had reasonable suspicion to stop you in the first place. The Court also ruled that any evidence turned up against the person who is searched in this way can be used against the suspect.*
