Which term describes the frisk performed with consent by the subject to be searched?

• A. Pat down
• B. Strategic frisk, given consent by subject to be searched
• C. Custodial search
• D. Full body search

Answer: (B)

At play here is how consent changes the scope of a frisk. A frisk is a quick, protective search aimed at detecting weapons, usually conducted based on a level of suspicion. When the person being searched explicitly agrees to the search, the operation becomes a consensual frisk rather than a stop-and-frisk done on suspicion alone. In this context, the term that best captures a frisk conducted with the subject’s consent and framed for a deliberate, purposeful search is a strategic frisk.

This helps distinguish it from a plain pat down, which is a more general term for a frisk and doesn’t emphasize the element of consent or the intentional, guided nature of the search. It also clarifies why it isn’t a custodial search—being performed with consent in a noncustodial setting—and why it isn’t a full body search, which would imply a broader and more invasive procedure not warranted by consent alone.

So, the concept is that when the subject consents, the frisk becomes a strategic, consent-based frisk rather than a generic pat down or a custodial/full-body search.