Griffin v. State

Mere presence in a high crime area does not provide reasonable suspicion for a stop .and frisk. The police here — at every turn — lacked justification for their actions; •and Mr. Griffin’s motion to suppress should have been granted.

The facts here are simple and straightforward: with no reason to suspect criminal activity, an officer approached a man in a high-crime area standing in a driveway and immediately demanded he remove his hand from his pocket. When the man did nothing in response and refused to consent to a search, the officer conducted a weapons pat-down. During the weapons pat-.…