What are the three questions LEOs should ask on patrol?

• A. Can the officer stop? Can the officer question? Can the officer search?
• B. All three questions (stop, question, and search)
• C. Can the officer search? Can the officer stop? Can the officer question?
• D. Can the officer stop? Can the officer search? Can the officer question?

Answer: (B)

On patrol, officers must ensure that each action they take is legally supported: they may stop someone only if there’s reasonable suspicion, they may ask questions within the confines of that stop, and they may search only with a valid basis such as probable cause, consent, or a recognized exception. The best answer includes all three: stop, question, and search. This reflects the typical sequence and the separate justification needed for each step, so the officer isn’t proceeding on a lesser basis than the law requires. Skipping any step or ordering them differently can lead to actions without proper authority, which is why choices that omit a step or reorder them aren’t correct. The standard approach is to consider stop first, then question, then search, ensuring each action has its own legal footing.