State v. Tilton’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

5 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Where a police officer observes unusual conduct which leads him reasonably to conclude in light of his experience that criminal activity may be afoot and that the persons with whom he is dealing may be armed and presently dangerous, where in the course of investigating this behavior he identifies himself as a policeman and makes reasonable inquiries, and where nothing in the initial stages of the encounter serves to dispel his reasonable fear for his own or others' safety, he is entitled for the protection of himself and others in the area to conduct a carefully limited search of the outer clothing of such persons in an attempt to discover weapons which might be used to assault him.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Faulks

2. “is whether a reasonably prudent [officer] in the circumstances would be warranted in the belief that his safety or that of others was in danger.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Faulks

3. “peculiar and uncooperative behavior, it was reasonable for the officer to believe a weapon may still be in his pocket....”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Faulks